telekinesis
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IBM says mind control next big thing in human-computer interaction; GLaDOS offers cake reward
From the ongoing Google-Apple turf war on voice recognition to Microsoft's gesture tracking with Kinect, humans continue to push the envelope on how to interact with computers and devices. Now IBM says mind control will be the next field to see a big leap, predicting breakthroughs within the next five years. Keep in mind that they're not talking about controlling humans a la Gorilla Grodd ... yet. Instead, they're talking about controlling computer actions and devices via brain waves. IBM software guru and potential Borg recruit Kevin Brown (pictured right) has already been using a headset to move cubes on a computer screen at will. Given the ongoing progress with mind-controlled cars and BrainGate, IBM's prediction might not be too far-fetched.
Champions Online issues state of the game letter, launches Aftershock Issue 5
We've got double the Champions Online treats for you folks today, as Cryptic has released the June state of the game letter as well as the next issue in the ongoing Aftershock weekly comic series. We'll start with a quick run-down of the state of the game letter. Hideouts will soon be added to the game, giving heroes a place to call their own. The Telekinesis power set review is almost finished, and players should be on the lookout for a mid-July release. A good deal of new items have been added to the C-Store, and Cryptic has also announced that July's additions to the store will follow a fantasy theme, while August's will focus on sci-fi and technology. There's much more to the letter that we simply don't have room for, so head on over to the official site for the full state of the game announcement. Next we come to Aftershock's Issue 5, titled Dark Tower. In this issue, CO players must infiltrate a tower belonging to the nefarious Kings of Edom in order to save Luther Black and the last remaining UNTIL soldiers from a diabolical fate. It's a battle against time, as our heroes must succeed before the arrival of the Kings of Edom themselves, lest the very fabric of the Qliphothic Realm unravel with them trapped inside. Will our heroes survive? Find out in Aftershock, Issue 5.
Ask Cryptic: Champions Online gets an April encore
The first round of Ask Cryptic: Champions Online for the month of April was a bit on the short side, at least compared to its Star Trek Online counterpart. Happily, Champions producer Rob Overmeyer is back with a second segment that is quite a bit longer than its predecessor. The encore covers a wide range of superhero-related questions from the free-to-play title's fans including the next power set revamp (telekinesis), feedback acknowledgment and pricing adjustments regarding the controversial costume slots, and some interesting bits about the last 10 levels of the game (as well as future level cap increases). "In order to increase the level cap we need to update how itemization and rewards work post-40. This is something that we are actively discussing now. Revamping rewards is a huge task and there are no quick solutions," Overmeyer explains. There's a lot more interesting Champions info to be found in part two of this month's Ask Cryptic, so head to the official website and see for yourself.
Emotiv EEG headset hacked into VR trapeze act, lets you fly like Superman (video)
Last year, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students built a virtual reality contraption that let them soar through the sky, held aloft by a trapeze harness and seeing through HMD-covered eyes. This year, they're controlling it with the power of their minds. For his master's thesis, project leader Yehuda Duenyas added an Emotiv headset -- the same one controlling cars and the occasional game -- to make the wearer seemingly able to levitate themselves into the air by carefully concentrating. Sure, by comparison it's a fairly simple trick, but the effect is nothing short of movie magic. See it after the break. [Thanks, Eric]
Review: Emotiv EPOC, tough thoughts on the new mind-reading controller
We live in exciting times. You can, today, right now, actually buy in real life the kind of sci-fi gear you only expect to find in a video game. Controlling things -- anything but your own body, really -- with just your thoughts is a fantasy and sci-fi staple, whether it be Darth Vader force-choking some mouthy Imperial admiral or Professor Xavier commanding the X-Men from the comfort of his wheelchair, finger pressed to temple in grim concentration. But that fantasy is now reality, and you can control things (well, a thing) with just the power of your mind. Think it and your computer does it, no more pesky mice or keyboards or even voice commands. Or so the people at Emotiv would have us believe. Being the kind of guy who absolutely cannot wait for the day when, as Jonathan Coulton sings, "the things that make me weak and strange get engineered away," I pre-orded Emotiv's thought-controlled EPOC mind-computer interface device as soon as I thought I had $299 to spare. As it turned out, being the first on your block with the new toy comes with a real risk: you might end up buying a frustrating experimental prototype for the cost of five new video games. %Gallery-83470%
Dead Space 2 producer confirms Sprawl, doesn't sweat Schofield departure
Dead Space 2 is shaping up to be quite the sequel, as executive producer Steve Papoutsis told CVG a lot of what we've heard about the Game Informer cover story is in fact true: engineer Isaac Clarke is a lot more vocal in the sequel and won't be confined to the claustrophobic corridors of the Ishimura. Instead, he's now an inhabitant of the space metropolis Sprawl. Papoutsis did more than validate suspicions in his interview, as he also pointed out a greater focus on action and telekinesis in the sequel. See, Isaac won't just be able to move objects around, but he'll be able to destroy those objects and employ their debris as offensive weaponry. In fact, Isaac can even use dismembered enemy limbs to kill more enemies. It's kinda like when that bully at recess used to make you punch yourself, except he's sliced your arm off first and is firing it toward you at blue hedgehog-like speed. Of course, an interview about Dead Space 2 can't go by without discussing the sudden departure of Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, the two gentlemen now running Sledgehammer Games for Activision. Papoutsis said that most of the team from the first game is on board for the sequel, and that it "takes a lot more than 2 people to make a great game." We hope so, because we have high hopes for this sequel.
iPhone as a touchpad
I love this. Reader Jahanzeb sent us a little mini-app he cooked up out of vnsea that turns your Installer.app-enabled iPhone into a touchpad for your PC (and Mac, I assume, though the video above shows Windows). Once you've got the two talking to each other, you can click, double-click, and even drag windows around. Jahanzeb says scrolling is possible, "although it's a little rusty."Telekinesis is still awesome, but this app basically turns your iPhone into a remote for your whole computer. Anything you can do by moving and clicking a mouse around, you can do with this. Very neat. It is too bad that it requires Installer.app, and that it has to be done unofficially, but the official SDK is still (hopefully) just around the corner. I remain amazed at how much programmers like Jahanzeb and the vnsea guys (and anyone else working on the iPhone) are able to do unofficially.
Create your own iPhone remote application
One of the good things about the "very sweet solution" of iPhone development is that you don't need any special tools or too much knowhow to create neat applications-- if you know a little HTML, a little PHP, and have access to a text editor, you can come up with some pretty cool stuff. This tutorial from IBM's DeveloperWorks is about as simple as it gets, and yet it shows you how you can use your iPhone as a remote for iTunes, Keynote, or any other AppleScript-able applications on your Mac, with no jailbreakin' necessary.Of course, as he mentions at the end, Telekinesis did most of this stuff early on, so if you've got something standard that you want to do (like control iTunes), you don't need to write the code yourself any more. But combine the tutorial with any other custom AppleScripts you've written (or might write), and a lot of possibilities open up in terms of what you can do with your computer, straight from your iPhone.[ via MacBytes ]
WoW on the iPhone-- just barely
Apple's little sliver of gadget joy supposedly has a full installation of OS X hidden somewhere in there, and since WoW is available on OS X, you just knew WoW was going to appear on the iPhone sometime. It hasn't happened yet, but as the video shows, we're getting there.In this case, the magic key is a little program called Telekinesis (created by the same guy who created Quicksilver, if you're part of the Cult), which lets you channel monitor output to your iPhone, as well as allows mouseclicks and even simply typing back into your computer.So it's not really WoW running on the iPhone (yet), but rather an instance of WoW controlled by an iPhone-- it still has to be run on a separate computer. Unfortunately, implementation actually turns out to be pretty poor-- this is not even barely playable. The guy who did it says he can chat, so I guess it's a first step. But while I'm sure we'll get there, we've got a long way to go.[ via a newly redesigned Joystiq ]
Telekinesis enables remote Mac access through your iPhone
Those hankering for more streamlined file access on the iPhone will still have to test their patience a bit longer, but here's something to tide you over. The Telekinesis application enables users to "remotely access their Mac through a collection of mini web apps on their phone," essentially allowing any iPhone user to tunnel into their home Mac and take control. More specifically, it enables screen capturing, iTunes control, Home directory browsing, iSight image captures, and even the ability to run AppleScripts remotely. Just a heads-up, however, that this software is still listed as Alpha, which means that things are more likely to go wrong than right when trying it out. If you're courageous enough to give it a whirl, though, be sure to let the gunshy know how things went in comments.[Via TUAW]
Telekinesis puts your Mac desktop onto your iPhone
Talk about cool. Alan Quatermain read about Telekinesis over at Daring Fireball and tipped me about it. It's a new OS X program from the creator of QuickSilver that serves your computer up as webpages. Load the iPhone remote software onto your Mac and you can use your iPhone to access your camera, your files, and even see your screen. It's new and just a wee bit buggy ("Really. Alpha. Don't expect it to be pretty. Or work.") but it already shows great promise. The screen shot here is off my Mac, but the same functions are available directly on the iPhone. Unfortunately, my Macs are so firewalled up that I can only use it in my house, but it worked well during my limited tests using my in-home network. This is probably a good time to re-check out a service like No-IP. Thanks to Alan Quatermain.
Brain-reading biofeedback caps on the rise, NeuroSky returns
Pushing the envelope is what it's all about, and for companies cranking out Wiimote-like devices to make gaming and PC experiences more eventful, even that's not enough to satisfy a bevy of outfits with their eyes set on getting biofeedback into games. Companies such as Emotiv Systems, CyberLearning, and our old friend NeuroSky are all looking to take advantage of the public's current curiosity about thought-controlled (and influenced) gaming by offering up electrode-laced headsets that read a variety of brain impulses to effect gameplay. Essentially, these gel-free caps rely on technology such as electromyography (EMG), which records twitches and other muscular movements, and electrooculography (EOG), which measures changes in the retina, in order to change the way games are experienced. For instance, a nervous, uneasy GTA player would barely be able to aim at his / her enemies, while a daydreamer would have a hard time staying on course and reaching full speed while playing Gran Turismo. Unsurprisingly, said companies have noted that "finding their target markets" have been the most difficult aspect, and certain analysts rightfully question whether gamers would actually enjoy such "mentally taxing restrictions" on their games, but if all goes as planned, we should start seeing a few more options in the commercial brain-interface market before too long.
