[IxDA Discuss] Brainwaves as Input Method

[Dan Saffer]

A convincing twin of Darth Vader stalks the beige cubicles of a  
Silicon Valley office, complete with ominous black mask, cape and  
light saber. But this is no chintzy Halloween costume. It's a  
prototype, years in the making, of a toy that incorporates brain wave- 
reading technology.

Behind the mask is a sensor that touches the user's forehead and  
reads the brain's electrical signals, then sends them to a wireless  
receiver inside the saber, which lights up when the user is  
concentrating. The player maintains focus by channeling thoughts on  
any fixed mental image, or thinking specifically about keeping the  
light sword on. When the mind wanders, the wand goes dark.

Engineers at NeuroSky Inc. have big plans for brain wave-reading toys  
and video games. They say the simple Darth Vader game — a relatively  
crude biofeedback device cloaked in gimmicky garb — portends the  
coming of more sophisticated devices that could revolutionize the way  
people play.

Technology from NeuroSky and other startups could make video games  
more mentally stimulating and realistic. It could even enable players  
to control video game characters or avatars in virtual worlds with  
nothing but their thoughts.


<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070430/ap_on_hi_te/mind_reading_toys>

<http://www.neurosky.com>