Introducing
the Neo Revolutionary Thought User Interface (TUI)
We
are now living in the hyper-neo-future, the future that is now, the
future in which your VR 360 device will interact with you through
your thoughts. That's right folks, now you will be able to
communicate with your device through electrical signals that go
inside your brain whenever you think!
Planet
Earth initiates commands and sustains and controls life on it through
electrical signals! That's right folks, God Earth evolves life and
planetary environment through various thought-based electrical
signals.
This
is our planet thinking, and these are the electrical signals going
inside its brain!
Brain-Computer Interface
What
it is:
In
a brain-computer interface, a computer is controlled purely by
thought (or, more accurately, brain waves). There are a few different
approaches being pursued, including direct brain implants, full
helmets, and headbands that capture and interpret brain waves.
Army Mind-Control Projects
According
to an
article in Time
from
September 2008, the American Army is actively pursuing "thought
helmets" that could some day lead to secure mind-to-mind
communication between soldiers. The goal, according to the article,
is a system where entire military systems could be controlled by
thought alone.
While
this kind of technology is still far off, the fact that the military
has awarded
a $4 million contract
to
a team of scientists from the University of California at Irvine,
Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Maryland means that
we might be seeing prototypes of these systems within the next
decade.
The Matrixesque Brain Interface: MEMS-Based Robotic Probe
Researchers
at Caltech are working on a MEMS-based
robotic probe
that
can implant electrodes into your brain to interface with particular
neurons. While it sounds very The
Matrix-y,
the idea is that it could allow for advanced control of prosthetic
limbs or similar body-control.
The
software part of the device is complete, though the micro-mechanical
part (the part that actually goes into your brain) is still under
development.
The Army's Totally Serious Mind-Control Project
Army
scientists want to cram this array of brain-wave reading sensors into
a helmet.
Soldiers
barking orders at each other is so 20th Century. That's why the U.S.
Army has just awarded a $4 million contract to begin developing
"thought helmets" that would harness silent brain waves for
secure communication among troops. Ultimately, the Army hopes the
project will "lead to direct mental control of military systems
by thought alone."
If
this sounds insane, it would have been as recently as a few years
ago. But improvements in computing power and a better understanding
of how the brain works have scientists busy hunting for the
distinctive neural fingerprints that flash through a brain when a
person is talking to himself. The Army's initial goal is to capture
those brain waves with incredibly sophisticated software that then
translates the waves into audible radio messages for other troops in
the field. "It'd be radio without a microphone, " says Dr.
Elmar Schmeisser, the Army neuroscientist overseeing the program.
"Because soldiers are already trained to talk in clean, clear
and formulaic ways, it would be a very small step to have them think
that way."
B-movie
buffs may recall that Clint Eastwood used similar "brain-computer
interface" technology in 1982's Firefox,
named for the Soviet fighter plane whose weapons were controlled by
the pilot's thoughts. (Clint was sent to steal the plane, natch.) Yet
it's not as far-fetched as you might think: video gamers are eagerly
awaiting a crude commercial version of brain wave technology — a
$299 headset from San Francisco-based Emotiv Systems — in summer
2009.
The
Army doesn't move quite as fast as gamers though. The military's
vastly more sophisticated system may be a decade or two away from
reality, let alone implementation. The five-year contract it awarded
last month to a coalition of scientists from the University of
California at Irvine, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University
of Maryland, seeks to "decode the activity in brain networks"
so that a soldier could radio commands to one or many comrades by
thinking of the message he wanted to relay and who should get it.
Initially, the recipients would most likely hear transmissions
rendered by a robotic voice via earphones. But scientists eventually
hope to deliver a version in which commands are rendered in the
speaker's voice and indicate the speaker's distance and direction
from the listener.
"Having
a soldier gain the ability to communicate without any overt movement
would be invaluable both in the battlefield as well as in combat
casualty care," the Army said in last year's contract
solicitation. "It would provide a revolutionary technology for
silent communication and orientation that is inherently immune to
external environmental sound and light."
The
key challenge will be to develop software able to pinpoint the
speech-related brain waves picked up by the 128-sensor array that
ultimately will be buried inside a helmet. Those sensors detect the
minute electrical charges generated by nerve pathways in the brain
when thinking occurs. The sensors will generate an
electroencephalogram — a confusing pile of squiggles on a computer
screen — that scientists will study to find those vital to
communicating. "We think we can train a computer to understand
those squiggles to the point that they can read off the commands that
your brain is issuing to your mouth and lips," Schmeisser says.
Unfortunately, it's not a matter of finding the single right
squiggle. "There's no golden neuron that's talking," he
says.
Dr.
Mike D'Zmura of UC-Irvine, the lead scientist on the project, says
his task is akin to finding the right strands on a plate full of
pasta. "You need to pick out the relevant pieces of spaghetti,"
he says, "and sometimes they have to be torn apart and
re-attached to others." But with ever-increasing computing power
the task can be done in real time, he says. Users also will have to
be trained to think loudly. "How do we get a person to think
something to themselves in a way that leaves a very strong signal in
EEGs that we can read off against the background noise?" D'Zmura
asks. Finally, because every person's EEG is different, persons using
"thought helmets" will have to be trained so that computers
intercepting their unspoken commands recognize each user's unique
mental pattern.
Both
scientists pre-emptively deny expected charges that they're literally
messing with soldiers' minds. "A lot of people interpret wires
coming out of the head as some sort of mind reading," D'Zmura
sighs. "But there's no way you can get there from here,"
Schmeisser insists. "Not only do you have to be willing, but
since your brain is unique, you have to train the system to read your
mind — so it's impossible to do it against someone's will and
without their active and sustained cooperation."
And
don't overlook potential civilian benefits. "How often have you
been annoyed by people screaming into their cell phones?"
Schmeisser asks. "What if instead of their Bluetooth earpiece it
was a Bluetooth headpiece and their mouth is shut and there's blessed
silence all around you?" Sounds like one of those rare slices of
the U.S. military budget even pacifists might support.
THOUGHTS INTO MOTION: AMAZING BRAIN-CONTROLLED DEVICES THAT ARE ALREADY HERE
Why
toil with the pressing of buttons or tilting of joysticks when
controlling something can be as simple as thinking about it? This
kind of technology may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but
in reality, it’s actually been around for decades. The development
of electroencephalography (EEG) technology can
be traced back to the 1920’s,
but it wasn’t until recently that we figured out a way to use
neurofeedback
to
control electronic devices. Nowadays, we can use brain-computer
interfaces (BCI’s) to control everything from prosthetic limbs, to
robotic arms, cars, and even things as simple as your computer’s
cursor.
In
the past couple years, BCI technology has expanded in leaps and
bounds. Not only are sensor technologies becoming more advanced, but
companies like Emotiv and NeuroSky are working to make BCI headsets
more affordable and available to consumers. Software development kits
are available for most major EEG headsets, which means developers
everywhere can tinker with the technology and help to expand its
uses. Here’s a look at some of the latest developments in the world
of mind control, including many you can buy today.
MindSet (2007)
To
give you a sense of chronology, we’ll take a step back and start
with some of the earliest consumer applications of BCI. About five
years ago, NeuroSky created the MindSet, the first affordable EEG
headset. Up until this point, dry sensor technology wasn’t easily
accessible or easy to use. It shipped with an early version of
NeuroBoy, a game where you use thoughts to trigger telekinetic powers
to manipulate objects and accomplish tasks. NeuroSky has since
released a newer EEG headset called the MindWave, which despite
looking newer, is essentially the same technology without headphones.
MindFlex (2009)
Back
in 2009, NeuroSky partnered with Mattel to make MindFlex — a game
where players are taksed with moving a ball through an obstacle
course using nothing more than their thoughts. The game was a huge
commercial success, and surely helped to put NeuroSky on the map.
Today the company’s chips are used in a number of different EEG
headsets, and they have rapidly growing app store filled with games
from developers who have taken advantage of the company’s free SDK.
Emotiv EPOC (2011)
About
a year ago, Emotiv released its own take on the EEG headset. Using an
array of 14 different sensors and two gyroscopes, it can pick up four
different mental states, 13 conscious thoughts, a range of different
facial expressions, and head movement in any direction. Like
NeuroSky, it also has a software development kit — the only
difference is that this one isn’t free. Although we haven’t used
it first hand, its list of features suggests that it’s the most
advanced EEG headset available to consumers.
Necomimi headset (2011)
This
one is a bit on the strange side. Made by the Japanese company
Neurowear, this headset uses a dry electrode to sense your
attentiveness, which is then expressed by the headset’s ears. If
you’re feeling scatterbrained and out of it, the ears will droop.
When you’re on point, they’ll perk up, and when you’re happy or
excited, they’ll wiggle to show your mood. Although we don’t
expect these to become the next fashion craze, but Necomimi’s idea
to express emotion through accessories is one that could definitely
become more common in the future.
Toyota PXP Bicycle
Back
in 2011, Toyota embarked on a project with Parlee Cycles (dubbed the
Prius X Parlee) that aimed to blend classic design principles with
modern technology in a bicycle. The end result was a beautiful bike
with some seriously cool features. It has a dock on the handlebars
that you can plug an iPhone into, allowing you to track your speed
and get navigational information. But even better than that, the bike
allows you to shift gears with nothing more than a thought. Just pop
on the helmet that’s retrofitted with an Emotiv EPOC headset, and
you’re ready to roll.
Sure,
Google has proven that cars can drive with minds of their own, but
that’s a whole different ball game than controlling a car with your
own mind. German company BrainDriver has created a program using
Emotiv’s SDK that allows a driver to pilot a car without actually
touching the steering wheel or pedals. Instead, the EEG sensor is
programmed to pick up on conscious thoughts like “left” or
“forward” and wirelessly beam them to a custom-built automated
control system that pushes pedals and turns the steering wheel.
Although it’s not legally roadworthy just yet, its a good proof of
concept that has helped establish BCI as a legitimate interface
worthy of further exploration.
Board of Imagination
Before
they got the idea to control a skateboard with their minds, the
tinkerers over at Chaotic Moon Labs created what they called ‘The
Board of Awesomeness” — a motorized skateboard that was
retrofitted with an Xbox Kinect and controlled with gestures. But
apparently waving their hands around in order to make it go was too
2011 for them, so they swapped motion control for BCI to create the
“Board of Imagination.” Check out the video
where
the pilot — who goes by the name Whurley — explains how easy the
board is to use. All you have to do is imagine a point somewhere
ahead of you, imagine yourself being there, and the board moves
forward.
SWARM
Extreme: Brainwave controlled AR.Drone Parrot
With
bikes, cars, and skateboards all covered, it seems that it was only a
matter of time before someone took brainwave control to the skies. A
couple students at Northeastern University College of Computer and
Information Science have done just that, and built a program that
allows them to fly the popular AR.Drone Parrot via BCI. With nothing
more than their brainwaves, these guys can remotely control the
flight path of one or multiple quadcopter drones. If this catches on,
perhaps that the days of the boxy two-joystick controller with a long
antenna will soon be behind us.
Software
In
addition to the various hardware that can be controlled by thought,
more and more mind-controlled software and games keep popping up
every day. The two big players in the BCI game are definitely Emotiv
and NeuroSky, and both have digital storefronts where you can
purchase games and software applications made by various developers
and studios. There are a bunch of them out there, but here are a few
of the more interesting ones.
UpCake
You’ve
gotta love game developers who follow through on silly ideas. The
goal of UpCake is to maneuver a flying cupcake upward as high as you
can. Concentration is key as you’ll have to overcome various
hindering forces as the levels get harder. It’s designed to work
with Android, so you can literally filter your brainwaves through Ice
Cream Sandwich to levitate a cupcake. What a world we live in.
28 Spoons Later
Whoever
thought this one up is a genius. The premise is that a zombie is
trying to eat your brain, but he’s a civilized zombie, so he can
only do so with a spoon. To avoid having your brains eaten, you’ll
need to use your Matrix-like brain powers to bend the spoon and
render it useless to Mr. Zombie. I’m guessing the key to success is
taking that little bald-headed kid’s advice: “do not try to bend
the spoon; that’s impossible. Only try to realize the truth —
there is no spoon. Then you will see that it is not the spoon that
bends, it is only yourself.” What an awesome blend of pop culture
references and next-gen technology.
SubConch
SubConch
is a mind-controlled synthesizer. How awesome is that? The software
allows you to control various musical properties (volume, pitch, LFO
speed, LFO depth, modulation frequency, wave shape, and reverb) by
linking them to certain cognitive thoughts, emotions, or even facial
expressions. For example, you could set the pitch to change when you
feel frustration, or increase the reverb by simply thinking “reverb
up.” Imagine in the future when this kind of tech becomes more
polished, and allows you to directly translate the music in your head
into a live performance that others can hear.
These
may be some impressive devices, but they really represent just the
tip of the iceberg. If you’re looking for more cool things you can
control with your brain, we suggest checking out what Emotiv
and
NeuroSky
have
available in their stores, or checking out Neruogadget,
a site dedicated to covering the latest products and developments in
BCI.
Our
brain generates all kinds of electrical signals with our thoughts, so
much so that each
specific thought has its own brainwave
pattern.
These unique
electrical signals can be mapped to carry out specific commands
so
that thinking the thought can actually carry out the set command.
In
a EPOC
neuroheadset
created
by Tan Le, the co-founder and president of Emotiv Lifescience, users
have to don a futuristic
headset that detects their brainwaves generated by their thoughts.
As
you can see from this demo
video,
the command executed by thought is pretty primitive (i.e. pulling the
cube towards the user) and yet the detection seems to be facing some
difficulties. It looks like this UI may take awhile to be adequately
developed.
In
any case, envision a (distant) future where one could operate
computer systems with thoughts alone.
From the concept of a ‘smart home’ where one could turn lights on
or off without having to step out of your bed in the morning, to the
idea of immersing yourself in an ultimate gaming experience that
responds to your mood (via brainwaves), the potential for such an
awesome UI is practically limitless.
