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Let the Mindgames Begin
chienr writes "Like Pong, but instead of paddles, you use your brainwaves to control the ball over to the opponent's goal, that's Mindball! This apparatus was previously an experiment under the name Brainball, and is now commercially available - here's another link with video."
Isn't EGG electrogastrography...having to do with measuring stomach/digestive tract activity?
Don't they mean the EEG, the electroencephalogram?
A Concerned Reader by the name of Paolo (marcoe.net)
Kaneda: Tetsuuuo!
Tetsuo: Kanedaaa!
"There is no teacher but the enemy."-Mazer Rackham
$19k for a simplistic, albeit technically interesting, game seems rather steep.
Was thinking exactly the same thing.
Instead of directly reading brainwaves, one could rig up a similar game using those cheap "bio-feedback" devices (you remember... the ones that attach to your finger and generate a tone? The "more relaxed" you are, the "lower" the tone goes).
Sure, it wouldn't be *exactly* the same, but it would be a similar concept... and for under $50.
Diplomacy is the art of saying, "Nice doggie!" until you can find a rock.
Check out these guys. Full multi-axis control, even a brain controlled mouse with clicking. Hell, they even piloted a sailboat with it. I saw it years ago on some science show, and they are still around. Much more advanced than the expensive showpiece in the article.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
i played the game one time at the CeBit expo this year ... but as the place was really crowded and loud, i had no ideea if i lost or win - i did not know if you win or loose when the ball comes to your place .. now i know - miserable failure
why did u peaople post this, i was such a happy winner for several months
"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I've played it. Fun stuff.
.5-3.5 Hz Sleep
They had a table at the Wired NextFest in SF a few months back.
It was one of the most entertaining things for me there. (The Z-Printer was
another cool thing. (Printed 3D models.))
As they describe, a person per side, each with a headband to read brain activity
like an EEG. Press a button for game reset and the ball moves to the center
(magnetic mechanism under the table). I believe the graphs' Y-axes corresponded
to brain activity *frequency*.
(Brain wave frequencies for your reference:
Beta 14-30 Hz Alert Wakefulness
Alpha 8-13 Hz Relaxed
Theta 4-7 Hz Drowsiness, Unconsciousness
Delta
(Brain Wave Frequencies) )
The ball had each hemisphere a different color so the rolling was more obvious.
Three graphs: One for each player's brain activity and a combined graph to
illustrate the difference. The greater the difference, the faster the ball
motion.
It's weird. You have two contestants struggling against one another through
being calm. They sit and stare at the table, or even close their eyes. And
then the ball on the tabletop moves without visible interaction. It does indeed
look like some bizarre telekinetic battle. I really liked that.
People freak out a little bit more as they start to lose. Interestingly,
children who played had very, very poor control over their frequencies. Their
graphs were consistently frenetic.
I lost my first game, figured out roughly how to control my activity in the
second game (won), and the final game I spent toying with my opponent. I would
relax my mind and unfocus my thoughts and the ball would start rolling toward
the goal on his side of the table. Relax, relax... and when the ball was on
the verge of scoring I started thinking wildly and trying to feel panicked,
and maybe move my eyes around a lot. The ball would slow, stop, and reverse,
heading toward my side of the table. It must have looked like an epic battle,
but I was just fucking with the guy. My gf saw my graph go from smooth and low
to jerky then back and she figured I was messing around. After a while it
seemed like maybe it was going on too long for the audience's amusement, so I
finished him.
Maybe I'm biased because I won, but I thought it was very fun. I can see this
being a great parlor game *and* biofeedback tool for practicing meditation.
Hey, maybe battling against your own previous performances is a good idea.
Those who find this mind-blowing might want to check out Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - fantastic SF book (winner of both the awards whose names I can't remember now). At its core is a game not so unlike this (although admittedly a tad more sophisticated)...