A device that allows you to control computer games with your MIND is set to go on sale.
The Emotiv EPOC is the first commercially available headset that makes it possible for games to be influenced by your thoughts.
By using 16 sensors, EPOC detects conscious thoughts, expressions and non-conscious emotions based on electrical signals around the brain. It then translates these from the wireless headset into movement on screen.
The demonstration game consists of manipulating a cube on the screen, which can be levitated, rotated and made to disappear.
Users are first required to calibrate the headset during a six second test in which they must relax and concentrate on an action such as 'push'.
Next they must attempt to manipulate the cube by reproducing what they were thinking during calibration.
When that emotion is recreated, the associated action should be seen occurring on screen. But while this is a basic demonstration, games could be developed that see you able to pick up objects by thinking of a movement or killing creatures by making an angry face.
The latter would be possible because the headset can identify facial expressions and mimic them with an on-screen face or action. It can pick-up over 30 expressions, emotions and actions including excitement, tension, frustration; facial expressions such as smile, wink, raised or furrowed eyebrows; and cognitive actions like push, pull, drop and rotate.
They could mean that gamers will be able to convey their own expressions onto a representative on-screen character.
"If you laughed or felt happy after killing a character in a game then your virtual buddy could admonish you for being callous," explains Tan Le, president of US-based Emotiv.
"Our vision for the next generation of man-machine communication will not be limited to just conscious communication," says Nam Do, Emotiv co-founder and chief executive officer. "Nonconscious communication between man and machines will play a big part."
The EPOC should be available late in 2008 for $299 (£152). It is expected to be able to connect wirelessly to all game platforms from consoles to PCs.
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Story by Dean Murray
