[IxDA Discuss] Brainwaves as Input Method

[Chris Pallé]

Here's an interesting thought:
Imagine if this technology did become part a uniform for a job such  
as Police work, or firemen or soldiers. We could see how safe it is  
for them to perform their duties in certain stressing conditions.

Sorry, this just got me spinning off into a sci-fi novel... What if  
we were required to wear these at our normal desk jobs? Imagine the  
implications of your employer seeing spikes and valleys in your brain  
activity. Would this be considered an invasion of privacy?

Here's another thought: could we "act" a certain emotion to invoke a  
particular response? For instance, let's say I was faking an angry  
emotion, could I trigger some event through the device? Could some  
people "act" better than others to increase the strength of the event  
trigger?

What other implications could a device like this have?


chris.pallé, interactive media designer
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blueflameinteractive*
732.513.3570
chris.palle at blueflameinteractive.com
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*water logic, meet functional form




On Apr 30, 2007, at 10:20 AM, Dan Saffer wrote:

> 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>
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