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The Mind-Reading Controller for Video Games

by Evan Shamoon on October 12, 2008 at 09:12 AM



Those who love video games but are hampered by poor hand-eye coordination will be happy to hear that biofeedback is on its way to the living room. A California-based company called NeuroSky showed off the newest version of its headset (called Mindset) at this week's Tokyo Game Show, and the response has been positive.

Essentially, the device is hooked up to a PC (playing a custom-made game) and can tell whether the player is focused or relaxed. It moves the on-screen character accordingly, as your brain waves prescribe.

"We brought this to the game show as a new interface, a new platform for game creators," NeuroSky managing director Kikuo Ito told AFP. "Once people get used to the idea of using brain waves for various applications, I hope we will see various products using this technology," he said.

In long-distance learning courses, for example, teachers could monitor whether students were attentive, he said, adding that train drivers and motorists could use it to judge their stress levels and alertness. And girlfriends could tell whether or not their boyfriend was listening to them.

Wait, maybe this is a bad idea. [From: SMH]

Tags: brain, fun, future tech, FutureTech, science, video game peripherals, VideoGamePeripherals, weird

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