Think that Google Glass, smart watches and even the concept “smart shoe” from Google are all very cool? Well, here’s one more – a “cap” that allows you to control smartphones and tablets using nothing but your brainwave. Samsung and the University of Texas are currently working on a project involving electroencephalogram or EEG in short, that measures the electrical activity in a scalp and treat that as an input for mobile devices, broadening the way a person can interact with devices.
Of course, the project is still in its preliminary stage but both parties already have a working prototype that is about 80% to 95% accurate, and recognizes input in about 5 seconds. Demonstrated on a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, it requires the user to focus and concentrate on whatever they wish to select. Different icons will be flashing at different rates on the device, allowing the EEG cap to “recognize” a unique electrical pattern.
Don’t get your hopes up too high though, there are no immediate plans from Samsung to release a brand new brain-controlled smartphone. One of the most challenging problem is to develop a “cap” that is less intrusive; current EEG systems have gel or wet contact electrodes and could take up to 45 minutes just to set things up. Finally, looking and staring at an object, hoping to control it with our brain may not be so silly after all, in the future at least.
Visit our source links for more information including a demo video.
(Source: Engadget, MIT Technology Review)
