Cognitive Labs

Designers at CEBIT got much digital ink when they announced this mental typewriter and game controller which let anyone control their computer with their brain alone. Telepathy, stage one.

Just 23 short months later, Emotiv, a San Francisco based company, has improved on the prototype with an actual beta consumer device - letting you control the existence or dissolution of an orange box on your computer's screen - with just your thoughts.



As you can see this is closer to the proverbvial iBrain: no wires, electrodes or swim cap - just pure design, closer to headphones or a svelte racing bicycle helmet.
The entrepreneurs aim to have a product in stores in time for Christmas 2008.





The pace of change is accelerating...

Labels: emotiv, gamer, gdc, mental_typewriter_and_game_controller

A new McMaster University study shows that video gamers have better memory elasticity, handling of complexity, and faster brains (in milliseconds) than non gamers. The 45 millisecond difference in reaction time approximates Cognitive Labs' observations (conducted by Dr. Michael Addicott) on individuals playing Halo2, who then were tested on Cognitive Labs test 4. *Research conducted at a dedicated offsite facility in Los Angeles during E3. Halo2 gamers average score on this test was in the fastest 99th percentile, with 2 individuals achieving greater than 99.5%, a statistical 100%.

Here's the study.

Labels: E3, faster_brain, gamer, halo2, McMaster