Mind Tech demos Master Mind application

Oct 6, 2010 by Dan Taylor    No Comments    Posted under: Games

On the surface, it sounds like something straight out of a classic science fiction novel – the ability to control things with ones’ mind. Up until a few years ago, this would have been true. However, Mind Technologies has completed a video demonstrating the company’s’ “Master Mind” – a gaming application that allows users to play PC games sans mouse and/or keyboard.

The video demonstrates gamers interacting with, and controlling their character in the popular shooter Call Of Duty. While videos can certainly be faked, I’ve watched this one over and over, and can’t detect any bots or auto commands running – much less any fancy CGI.

According to Mind Technologies Inc., the Master Mind application works through interpreting brainwaves via an EEG headpiece the gamer wears, reading and sending electrical signals to the PC via USB. Thus, the thought “forward” has it’s own unique signature wavelength, backwards, left, right, the same. That’s not to say that each individual has the same brainwave as the next guy, as the Master Mind application does take a bit of setup, as the software and device must be calibrated through basic movements and commands. These brainwaves are measured and remembered during a tutorial the gamer must complete before delving into their title of choice.

Admittedly, there is a bit of cheese behind the video, and I believe the presentation could use quite a bit of work. Regardless of the production quality of the video, the technology that’s featured has a promising future. I’m not quite sure that every gamer around the work will adopt such a device, and Mind Technologies certainly runs the risk of becoming a novelty item (Nintendo Virtual Boy), but I do believe that there’s certainly something here that could have a ton of potential. If not gaming, there are a staggering number of other possibilities for the technology.