Touch screens? Have seen. Wireless controllers? It's not news for a long time. Last week, San Francisco hosted an exhibition and conference dedicated to neuro games, which are already called the next generation of computer games.
According to the organizers of the NeuroGaming 2013 Conference and Expo, a hardware and software complex that monitors and reacts to electrical and chemical signals from the human body will do for games what synchronous filming did for cinematography.
The ultimate goal of the project is to create a new category of computer games, according to Zach Lynch, head of the Neurotechnology Industry Organization (NIO), a non-profit business association that represents a wide range of neuroscience companies.
Each of the conference participants voiced their own ways to achieve this goal:
- Mind-reading headsets with ear and forehead sensors.
- Uncomplicated touch screens with feedback.
- Headphones that convert low frequency sounds into physical vibrations.
- Neurodevices integrated with wearable consumer electronics like augmented reality glasses and the Oculus Rift.
Promotional video:
- Experimental sensors for assessing the emotional state of the player by measuring the pH level of sweat.
During the discussion, it became clear that consumers are the only obstacle to this goal.
Most consumers are not going to give their hard-earned money to experimental one-day gadgets. To do this, they must have lasting value, says Stanley Young, CEO of NeuroSky.
This man knows what he is talking about because it was his company that first launched a consumer neuro-computer interface product, the $ 130 Star Wars Force Trainer.
Chris Petrovitz, former general manager of GameStop Digital Ventures, believes that the situation will not change even if the vocabulary changes:
Regardless of the wording, we must be consumer-oriented. Just don't call the technology a "next generation neurogaming platform" or a "neurogaming device", it won't be on sale anyway.
With this formulation, people can perceive an unknown technology as an invasion of their body. Everyone will do this.
Several speakers and numerous listeners (a total of 300 conference participants were registered) agreed that it is more rational to use technology not in the gaming industry, but where it has already taken root, for example, in clinical therapy or as a means of teaching children with mental disorders. such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
Another problem is that most "mind games" are too primitive and boring. Without interesting content, all attempts to popularize neuro games come to naught. If they stagnate, then they will face the fate of 3D TV technology, which has failed, despite the great hype and considerable cash investments.
Neurogaming is targeting the niche of enthusiasts who can test technology for viability, much like the Tesla Roadster laid the foundation for more affordable electric vehicles.
The companies participating in the conference dream that one day they will release a neurodevice that will make friends with consumers "in one click", which was done in 2006 by the Wiimote wireless controller.
Meanwhile, Samsung is teaching consumer electronics to read minds
Researchers at Samsung's Emerging Technologies Lab are working with Ruzbeh Jafari, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas, to study people's ability to launch apps, select contacts from a contact list, select songs from a playlist, and turn their mobile device on and off with thoughts.
Technology testing was conducted using a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet computer. While the Korean manufacturer currently has no urgent plans to release thought-driven smartphones, preliminary research suggests that a brain-to-computer interface can help people with disabilities solve previously unattainable tasks, Technology Review reports.
It is worth noting that systems for recording weak electrical currents generated by the cerebral cortex are already on the market. For example, the NeuroSky headset uses the encephalogram method to control video games and objects through mental concentration. Emotiv Systems, in turn, has released a wireless head controller that reads and transfers the user's facial expressions and emotions to the virtual character, thereby improving the game.
In the experiment, researchers from Samsung and the University of Texas at Dallas monitored the brain activity of people who were shown repetitive visual images. As it turned out, the subjects were able to launch applications and make choices by focusing on an icon that blinks at a certain frequency.
According to scientist Robert Jacob of Tufts University, who is working on the study of human-computer interaction, this project is part of a larger effort to find new ways to communicate with mobile devices like smartphones:
The technology allows you to control your phone without taking it out of your pocket.
Samsung's lead researcher Inso Kim is confident that actively seeking new ways to interact with mobile devices will help the project grow faster.
Until a few years ago, the only device for entering information into a mobile phone was a tiny keyboard. Today, you can interact with your phone through voice commands, touches, gestures and eye movements. The new ways to manage mobile devices will be even more convenient, says Kim.
The researcher acknowledges that more thorough research is needed. It will take some time before the neurocomputer interface is implemented in modern mobile devices. One of the tasks was to develop a system for processing weak and noisy signals obtained by the electroencephalogram method, with the aim of subsequent use in a mobile device.
While classical systems for recording and analyzing electroencephalograms require applying an electrically conductive gel to the scalp under the electrodes and adjusting the device within 45 minutes, no gel is needed for the Samsung EEG system to work, and tuning takes only 10 seconds. However, a cap with electrodes and connecting wires must be used in both cases.
The dry EEG system cannot be called new, and the quality of processing of brain signals leaves much to be desired. However, researchers continue to work to improve their technology. If the system turns out to be convenient and practical to use, then the final mobile device control by the power of thought could look like the everyday headgear that everyone is used to for a long time, says Jafari.
It is also noted that the speed of the system depends on the specific user. The experiment showed that, on average, a mental command is completed in five seconds with an accuracy of 80 to 95 percent.
We cannot predict how this technology will change our world. But given the massive support, the development of human-machine interfaces is inevitable, says a Samsung scientist.
According to the forecasts of the American company IBM, the technology of controlling smartphones and computers using the power of thought will become mainstream in a few years.