Brain-controlled game expected to make Japan debut in 2009

Tuesday 30th September, 05:26 AM JST

TOKYO —

A brain-controlled video game is expected to hit the Japanese market as early as 2009, officials of U.S. technology venture firm NeuroSky Inc say. The firm has developed and commercialized a headset, called MindSet, which can tell the mental states of users by analyzing their brain wave signals. The interpreted data are transmitted wirelessly to various platforms.

In cooperation with Japanese companies, the San Jose, California-based firm aims to release a game based on the technology on the Japanese market as early as 2009, the officials said.

NeuroSky plans to demonstrate the game at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show starting on Oct 9 at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, near Tokyo, the officials said.

In the game, users control avatars in a virtual world without using a hand-held controller. The avatars will not run quickly or throw balls very far unless the users concentrate enough, said Kikuo Ito, senior adviser of NeuroSky.

The firm’s technology could be applied to a wide range of products. Some 40 companies throughout the world are considering using it.

Possible products include music players that automatically select songs by analyzing the feelings of users, as well as devices to support nursing-care work and to measure learning effects.

Taken from http://www.japantoday.com/category/technology/view/brain-controlled-game-expected-to-make-japan-debut-in-2009

Whoah whoah whoah! Hold your horses. So you say that I can make my character throw a ball if I think hard enough? What about when I think of pooping, I wonder what the character would do. This seems really interesting and yet scary at the same time. Does this mean that people have already found a scientific way to read minds? Does this mean that machines are able to process bodily functions as electronic commands? What if you are playing, then you suddenly have to go to the washroom. Too many questions. I guess we’ll just have to wait for “the future”.

Oh. and if I think 「あなたとは違うんです」　the in game character turn to Fukuda? I’m excited. and confused. at the same time. this seems like a really huge step in Biotechnology. Can’t wait for October 9.