Emotiv COPD: playing video games with the mind

The rise in popularity of the Wii system and games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band points to an emerging trend in video games: the death of the traditional controller. Whereas before, games were mainly played with the thumbs, now they are played with the whole body. A new invention takes this trend even further, allowing users to play with their minds.

The Emotiv EPOC(TM) is a headset that allows video game players to control the actions and emotions of characters through their thoughts. Instead of moving their hands, a person can just think about how they want a character to move and it will happen on the screen. If a player smiles, their on-screen counterpart will also smile. EPOC is designed to work with PCs and all game consoles, although a game must be created specifically for use with the device. To encourage headpiece integration, the company behind EPOC, Emotiv Systems, has released free tools for game developers to help them incorporate the new technology.

Emotiv Systems was started by a couple of entrepreneurs, a chip designer and a neuroscientist with the goal of “introducing thought into the human-machine dialogue.” They say that while they focus on applying the technology to the video game industry right now, they eventually believe the technology will be used for a wide variety of purposes, from television to market research to security. According to Emotiv, its patent-pending neural processing technology makes it possible for computers to directly interact with the human brain.

EPOC has three detection categories: expressive, effective, and cognitive. By expressive, Emotiv claims that the EPOC can read and understand facial expressions (eg, smile, laugh, wink, cross-eye, surprise) and then recreate them in an on-screen character. For cash, they say the game dynamically adjusts to each individual’s experience, meaning the music or sound can change based on how the headset reads a person’s emotions. And by cognitive, they mean a person’s ability to control on-screen actions just by thinking about them.

Although it won’t be available until later in the year, interested gaming enthusiasts can pre-order the EPOC headset online at Emotiv’s website. The device costs $300 and comes with a game that puts the headphones to use. Early adapters also gain access to Emortal, an online portal that allows people to access and experience content through headphones. Designed as a spatial representation of an urban landscape, users can walk through the city and discover games and other applications. They can also upload their own content, such as music or photos, and experience it through the headphones.

While EPOC technology is full of exciting possibilities, it can also have an unexpected drawback. While many applaud Wii’s technology for making video games more of a physical activity, EPOC (if successful) may have the opposite effect: People won’t even have to move their thumbs to play.