Emotiv to make mind-controlled games a reality by Christmas

The idea of wearing a funny hat to mind control software is certainly nothing new 'round these parts. Now Emotiv Systems returns with an update to their Project Epoch USB headset. Crave went hands-on with the system which required a short, six-second calibration before entering the first "game." At that point, Crave was able manipulate a simple cube on the screen with varied success at making it disappear or pull forward. Oooh, what fun! Mind you, it's just a prototype and we've seen this tech applied to old-school arcade games like Pong and Space Invaders to great effect. You'll get your chance soon enough as Emotiv plans to launch the first thought-controlled, consumer gaming device this Christmas for $299 with at least one bundled PC game. One more picture of that Alien face-hugger of a headset after the break.

[Johan S @ Feb 20th 2008 3:48AM]

This sort of UI is probably going to be easy for little kids to learn to use. Who knows maybe in the future kids will be so adept at this sort of UI they wont even need a mouse or keyboard or game controller.

Anyway I hope it's easy for adults to use as well.

[Mic2000 @ Feb 20th 2008 4:38AM]

Or kids who are physiccal(i hope its the right word, = body) handicapped. It would be very handy to control your computer if you don't have any arms to control your mouse / keyboard.

[superfresh @ Feb 20th 2008 9:33AM]

Dreamcast 2 - YOU'RE thinking...

[Mush @ Feb 20th 2008 3:48AM]

looks scary....

[Tom Oliveri @ Feb 20th 2008 4:34AM]

yes, i heard something about time travel and funding from IBM in the early 80's

[Blackstar @ Feb 20th 2008 4:44AM]

It's the "Wii™ Helmet ©". - "Now you can destroy... with the power of your mind!"


** CAUTION. Those with a mental electrical output of less than .0000006 milliwatts may not have sufficient mental power to operate the "Wii™ Helmet ©". Offer VIOD in Utah.

[Ian @ Feb 20th 2008 5:12AM]

nice blackstar real nice :)

[chandan @ Feb 20th 2008 3:51AM]

cool

[derX @ Feb 20th 2008 3:58AM]

I do not want to put any bit of my anatomy into that alien death trap.

[Boing @ Feb 20th 2008 4:20AM]

does it respond to subconcious too? i have a feeling most guys characters will end up trying to hump someones leg.

[Lance @ Feb 20th 2008 4:21AM]

But can you play Doom with it?

[Tom Oliveri @ Feb 20th 2008 4:33AM]

i'm going to take a stab at.. some day.

[patsy @ Feb 20th 2008 8:44AM]

It?! I'd rather play Doom with HER!

[Tom Oliveri @ Feb 20th 2008 4:32AM]

oh please someone mix this with 'elmo live'

[KazSur @ Feb 20th 2008 9:41AM]

Put that on Elmo.. and see what he's really thinking...

[That_Idi0t @ Feb 20th 2008 11:53AM]

Ooh, look, evidence that Tom used to have a brain.

[ecobore @ Feb 20th 2008 4:48AM]

It looks scarily like the headset in 'Brainstorm' I am not putting that thing on my head!!!! unless of course it is combined with the orgasmatron announced this week somewhere or other! ;-)

[Daniel @ Feb 20th 2008 5:08AM]

whoa O.O

[Randomness @ Feb 20th 2008 5:33AM]

What about OCZ's Neural Impulse Actuator technology? I searched, but don't think engadget covered it during CES.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=10379

"OCZ instead dreamt up and created the Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA), the world's first gaming control system that forgoes tactile inputs in favor of inputs from muscle movement, brain waves, and glance (eye movement) levels."

[Nik Schubert @ Feb 20th 2008 5:35AM]

I want one. Bad. One small step for tech, one huge step to obesity.

[morsey @ Feb 20th 2008 5:39AM]

..but what this doesn't show is that a second later a 2 inch long sharp needle shoots out each of the probe sites and lightning arcs between them.

It's the latest idea from Hilary Clinton to reduce violent spurred from video games, kill all the gamers.

[Mikey @ Feb 20th 2008 5:46AM]

if this works any better than the "mind control helmet" prototype by Atari, I'm SOLD!

[Dirk @ Feb 20th 2008 7:25AM]

But.. does it have force feedback??

[jskrdude @ Feb 20th 2008 11:34PM]

My head rattles quite enough without force feedback, tyvm...

[Hraefn @ Feb 20th 2008 8:04AM]

Gaming device? This is all a plot by our future robotic overlords to learn our innermost thoughts, I tell you!

[Langdon Alger @ Feb 20th 2008 1:13PM]

I, for one, welcome our mind-controlling robotic overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted engadget reader, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil with their superfluous, shoddily-functioning remote control helmets.

[KazSur @ Feb 20th 2008 9:37AM]

Hraefn .. I agree.. .But then... Most people would know what people like us are thinking... no super secrecy there..

[keenfrenzy @ Feb 20th 2008 9:46AM]

So now the 2015 world of Back To The Future II is one step closer to reality.
"You mean you gotta use your hands? That's like a baby's toy."

Somebody alert me when the Hoverboard hits.

[wombat @ Feb 20th 2008 9:55AM]

What, no Star Trek: The Next Generation reference? You people make me sad.

[EricR @ Feb 20th 2008 10:01AM]

You can count me out of this game if it affects my higher judgment (actually if I can memorize the strobe pattern now I might be the savior of the world)

[GreatSunJester @ Feb 20th 2008 10:09AM]

Quoted from the article:
"Of course, there's no relationship at all between brain activity that is consciously trying to "pull" the cube forward and what happens. That is to say, it doesn't matter in any way what you're doing with your mind, so long as what you do during the six-second calibration matches what you do when you try to enact the action."

As expected it is nowhere near "thought control". It just senses that something was detected and performs the action it is programed to do when something happens. You could put it on a dog (a really good natured dog that loves and trusts you not to subject it to medial experimentation), calibrate it to showing the dog a treat and each time you showed the dog a treat either the cube would vanish or move toward you, depending on which program was running. Come to think of it, I love my dogs too much to subject them to this form of embarassment... now peanut butter on the roof of their mouths on the other hand.....

[primax @ Feb 21st 2008 4:30AM]

What are you talking about? it senses the output of your brain... If your thinking about dogs and associate that thought with the calibration then any time you think about dogs it will activate....

In fact the more I think about what you have posted the more I get confused as to what your trying to say... I could post a lot of crap here but I'm sure when you think about your statement for 5 minutes you will realize that you wrote is rubbish.

[primax @ Feb 21st 2008 4:34AM]

I think I will clarify my statement actually...

Saying this thing does not use thought control is like saying that your keyboard doesn't know what you are typing... They both just interpret your output and put it into a raw form of data your computer can use. anything else is left up to programming. You expect the headset or computer to already know what a thought is?

[GreatSunJester @ Feb 21st 2008 7:18PM]

Ah, sorry -- used one analogy when a better one would have done as well. I do not mean to imply that the technology is innovative, just not up to the hype of "thought control"
Unless there is a lot more happening than the article indicates, it is just like a button on a desk. If you run one demo program a cube will be displayed in front of you. Press the button and the cube vanishes. Run another demo and the cube is displayed, press the button and the cube moved toward you. The device detects that something occurred, and the program executes a specific action. Nothing more.

[Greg @ Feb 20th 2008 10:10AM]

"Do you know what this means?!

It means that this DAMNED thing doesn't work!!"

[Ende @ Feb 20th 2008 10:27AM]

I remember back in the days we used to play pong and space invaders and thought it was so cool. And within only 20 or so years kids are playing these advanced games. I wonder if after same period of time, this technology will develop to that point :-? (by which time, criminals and whatnots will need to learn not to think during interrogations I guess... poor dudes)

[techieguru16 @ Feb 20th 2008 11:39AM]

halo 3? that would be awesome

[OneLove @ Feb 20th 2008 12:56PM]

Dumb people will all get fragged on call of duty 4. lol.

[Steelwurm @ Feb 20th 2008 1:06PM]

In Mother Russia, game controls you!

[teej @ Feb 20th 2008 3:51PM]

great! now, kids will never get exercise!

[bbloczynski @ Feb 20th 2008 10:48PM]

My wife does Assistive Technology for the department of education. A device like this would be a godsend for some of her clients, especially if it can be configured as a mouse/trackball replacement. Keep us posted.

[jskrdude @ Feb 20th 2008 11:34PM]

Hmm, my hair is kinda long. Will that be a problem?

Heh, it looks pretty neat, but I'd rather get a pair of K2 Silencers or PE's before I drop 300 on a highly advanced but mildly entertaining toy...