Aug 15 2009
Live from LiveFutures, PART 4
By Rachel Beaney
OMG. I just had an Octopus on my head. Otherwise known as: the Emotiv Headset. With the helmet moistened to read my brain-waves more easily, it really felt like an octopus was being peeled off my skull when the Emotiv Headset was removed.
The Emotiv Headset will become an addition to video games: where users can think certain commands to supplement games. And, trust me, it’s a lot harder than it sounds! Thinking a command isn’t just ‘do this’: it’s focusing mentally on doing the activity.
After the headset had gotten used to my brainwaves, I had to try to push a box on projected on a screen backwards. I firstly had to train the machine to know what it felt like when I was thinking pushing it backwards. Then I had to actually push it backwards. I pushed and I pushed and – sometimes – just – some of the way. After a while I had it, but it is something you’d really need to practice over a few days or hours to get the hang of.
The most challenging part was making the box become invisible. Pushing we can imagine – but becoming invisible – where is our point of reference with that?
The best use of the Emotiv Headset will be to supplement games – not as the primary device. So, if we’re wanting to cast a spell, instead of pushing a button on the controller, we can simply think of the action to cast the spell.
Using the Emotiv headset
Geoff Mackellar, who was demonstrating the Emotiv Headset, told me that in the future games could respond to mood.
If people get bored, or stressed, the game could add more or less characters, or according to mood, the weather or setting could change. Or, you might need to be in a certain state of mind to do something – like completely calm in order to jump a cliff, or scale a wall.
Very, very awesome. Definitely a highlight of my day!
It was a weird sensation being able to move things with my thoughts. It genuinely felt like trying to master a new-found superpower.
I’m off to check out a few more exhibitions. I missed Saul Griffith talk about the Future of Energy because I was playing with the Headset. The people coming out told me it was great – both a reality check and inspiring at the same time. Rumour had it’ll be podcasted … I’ll let you know when I find out more!
Rach.
