Post by rogues on May 12, 2007 14:00:37 GMT 6
This man may look like Darth Vader, a character from the Star Wars film series but the technology on the inside of his costume means that 'the force' is indeed with him.
He is a prototype that has been years in the making.
Behind the mask/helmet is a sensor that touches his forehead and reads his brain's electrical signals.
It then sends them to a wireless receiver inside the light sabre, which lights up when the user is concentrating on keeping the light on. When the mind wanders, the wand goes dark.
Engineers at the company NeuroSky Inc, who have worked on the technology, say they have big plans for the brain and gaming.
The company says gamers can now play video games using only their minds.
While they play they are connected to the computer by a headset sensor, which unlike many other sensors, does not require gel.
The sensors are the size of a thumbnail and they retail for as little as US$20.
Chief Executive of NeuroSky, Stanley Yang, explains that his concept works by filtering out noise and amplifying the signal from the brain. That is then translated into an electronic signal.
The prototype measures a person's baseline brain-wave activity, including signals that relate to concentration, relaxation and anxiety.
The technology ranks performance in each category on a scale of 1 to 100, and the numbers change as a person thinks about relaxing images, focuses intently, or gets kicked, interrupted or otherwise distracted.
Manager at NeuroSky, Johnny Liu, says players can move objects with their minds simply by thinking about it. The objects then move on the screen.
In order to ensure safety throughout the game a health bar indicates the players heart rate.
The technology also has the potential to help many other industries develop safer machines to prevent injuries to staff.
Stanley Yang says that he's getting lots of enquires from construction companies hoping to find ways of improving building site safety.
The future of gaming ?!