Video games powered by brain waves
Video games powered by brain waves
SAN FRANCISCO: Hand and head sets will soon be passe’ as video games will now be dictated by brain waves. IT experts at a company based in Silicon Valley are going through their final round of testing before introducing to the market low-cost headsets.
The Game developers conference in San Francisco had plenty of new and modified technologically powered gizmos to drool over, but what did end up making news was the demonstration of a man dressed as Darth Vader from the “Star Wars" film series displaying the NeuroSky invention by turning his toy light saber on and off without pushing a button.
“It’s like the Force," he said, referring to the film premise that unseen energy could be tapped and channeled by the mind.
How can it happen was the question most awestruck viewers wanted answered. According to NeuroSky spokesperson, Greg Hyver, “It is sensors that gauge people’s moods by measuring brain wave emissions."
Readings are translated into video game action by computer software. Onscreen objects can be pushed or pulled by focusing intently on them and aiming with a computer mouse. Players “calm" their minds to lift things in the game.
“The technology has been around for a hundred years," Hyver said. “The problem was the cost, and we fixed that." The San Jose, California-based firm said it has sold development kits to game and toy makers that will have products to market by the end of the year
Single-sensor headsets manufactured in Korea for NeuroSky are priced at $50 each, if bought in volume.
The technology can also be used in toys such as the mind-activated light saber or to let MP3 players match music to one’s mood.
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