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| Science & Technology |
| Emotiv's New Mind-Control Headset for PCs |
| 2008-08-11 |
| I recently sat down with executives at a San Francisco startup called Emotiv Systems, which has spent the last half-decade researching so-called brain-computer interfaces. Emotiv is currently fine-tuning a mind-reading headset called the Epoc, which should ship late this year. The $299 device purports to eavesdrop on your thoughts and translate them into computer instructions, so you can play a game or arrange photos without using your hands or speaking words. To pull this off, Emotiv uses electroencephalography, or EEG. The technology is just like what you find in any hospital, but while doctors typically apply gel to a patient's scalp and then attach the sensors that read the brain's faint electrical signals, the Epoc "neuroheadset" has 16 sensors embedded in its crossbars that communicate wirelessly with your PC. There are no messy smears or tangles of wires. Emotiv and a rival Silicon Valley company, NeuroSky, initially are targeting the entertainment market. But both startups say they're in touch with companies in other industries, including manufacturers of TVs, medical devices, and automobiles. I'm not ready to drive a car using one of these gizmos. But if one of them can make my interactions with my PC more amicable, I'm all for it. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #3 This is AMERIKA, D *** NG IT, NOT AMERICA - don't force me to send SHANNEN DOUGHERTY from "BEVERLY HILLS, USSA, 90210" after youse by her engaging in monogamous sex and actually having having a successful movie career! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-08-11 22:55 |
| #2 "No messy smears or tangles of wires" > Read, UNDER THE SKIN andor INTERNAL IMPLANTATION(S) WITHIN THE HUMAN BODY. See C2CAM. Oh for that special time of the year when Govt. Agencies' fancy turns to their favorite Mafias and Special Interests for PDeniable, Third-Party Legal Fraud/Legal Crime, Non-Consensual human experimentation in the name of National Security, Progress, + "Balancing the Books" etc. to $$$ profit while also staying out of Fort Leavenworth military prison. D *** NG IT, GOVT. CAN'T PASS LEGISLATIONS AUTHORIZING MAFIOSI AND CRIMINALS, ETC. TO WORK FOR AND RETIRE AT FULL GOVT + TAXPAYER EXPENSE - THAT WOULD BE G*** D**** HONEST AND ETHICAL! HOW CAN HONEST GOVT. + INSTITUTIONS FUNCTION PROPERLY IFF THEY CAN'T COVERTLY KILL, INJURE OR DESTROY HONEST CITIZENS AT THEIR LEISURE, LET ALONE BE HELD RESPONSIBLE AND PAY FOR IT! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-08-11 22:50 |
| #1 Hopefully the improvement curve for this will be as high as it was for voice recognition software, which is a godsend to those that need it. Ironically, the biggest problem with it will probably be the same--it won't be used as a subsystem in combination with other technologies, but only developed for just one use. For example, both Dragon and IBM have extremely good voice-to-text recognition software. But even though it's widely available, neither have dreamed of incorporating its commonly available opposite, text-to-speech synthesis. How big a philosophical jump is it, if you talk to a computer, to want it to talk back to you? Now imagine if a system like this was blended together with both speech-to-text and text-to-speech? This is a major principle of communication, using several parallel systems to send and receive data. For example, when you talk on the phone, you receive two channels of information: voice data and emotional context. But when you talk to someone in person, you also get to see their non-verbal communications, such as hand gestures, that further improve communications. By looking at their eyes you can tell several subtle things as well. So this is what they should shoot for. Typing, mouse clicking, talking, thinking, emotions. And having your computer talk to you back. All help get the message through. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-08-11 20:04 |