Posted on by johnfx

I know I said this about Lego Mindstorm back in the day and never followed through, but I have just discovered the NeuroSky Mindset device and… I Must have this SDK!

Harness the power of your mind with the NeuroSky MindSet™ headset. This Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) turns your thoughts into actions, unlocking new worlds of interactivity. The MindSet measures brainwaves to identify specific mental states and communicates these states as commands, empowering users to control supported video games, research devices, and other tools for an enhanced user experience. The MindSet also has Bluetooth Stereo Audio and Bluetooth Hands-free features. Source: NeuroSky site

I don’t know about you, but the #1 feature request from the users of every application essentially boils down to “Make it read my mind.” Finally, there is a peripheral and associated API to make that happen.

It’s already available and cheap!

Better yet, they haven’t forgotten the hobbyists out there and are offering a free version of the sdk and the hardware-device is cheaper than an I-POD. The entry level version is priced at about $200. I am still trying to distinguish what the difference between the basic and “pro” versions of the device are besides $8,800 aside from market segmentation and slower shipping. But what do I know? The pro version is sold out and the cheap one is still available.

The comparison matrix is far from helpful on this point and presumes quite a bit of prior knowledge of concepts like the subtle distinction between a “Headset details” that are customizable versus fixed function. Maybe they are charging the extra 8 grand for the attorneys since you get to negotiate the agreement at that level. Who knows?

Pondering the Ponderable

Two questions immediately come to mind:

How precisely can the user control the device?

This thing ain’t gonna fly if you have to concentrate so hard that it causes a brain hemorrhage after 30 minutes of use.

What is the information depth?

I’ll be supremely disappointed if the user only has only the ability to communicate On/Off to the device. Giving a basic switch-control mind-reading capabilities would be the worst case of gold plating ever.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Scott Adams for making me aware of this awesomeness in his blog. Although he seems excited about this for different, but equally respectable reasons.

I don’t know about you, but I rarely go a minute without wishing I could buy some sort of technology that would make it unnecessary for me to move my arms and legs.

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Filed under: Reviews and Previews | Tagged: Mindset, new technology, User Interfaces |