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Computer Game Predicts Player Moves
willatnewscientist writes "A couple of Hungarian researchers have developed a computer game that knows when you're going to press the 'jump' button ... 2 seconds before you do it. The researchers use neural networks to analyse several type of biofeedback signal — heart rate, EEG and skin conductance — and discovered that skin conductance alone is enough to predict a jump up to 2 seconds beforehand. They say the technique could ultimately be used to make aircraft controls that respond more quickly to a pilot's actions. But it could also be used to create so-called 'frustration games' that respond to a player's actions before they occur."
http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050704/pf/436150a_ pf.html
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Unfortunately the research was found to be flawed when they discovered that 99% of the test subjects were playing Night elf characters in World of Warcraft. This was pinpointed just prior to a potentially embarassing follow-up news release of a study showing the connection between frequency of spacebar usage and use of the phrase "come on flip already dammit!"
"In two seconds, the pilot is going to panic and accidently push the stick sharply forward, as he reacts to my sudden preemtive forward tilt."
In a fair world, refrigerators would make electricity.
Neo: What vase?
Oracle: That vase.
Neo: I'm sorry--
Oracle: I said don't worry about it. I'll get one of my kids to fix it.
Neo: How did you know?
Oracle: Ohh, what's really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything? If you know that the game knows you're going to jump, will you still do it?
Obligatory penny-arcade reference. http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/09/07/
My thoughts exactly. Games of Unreal Tournament and the like are won by decisions made in 100 milliseconds. Waste 50 extra milliseconds not pulling the trigger and your brains get splattered all over by the guy sitting across from you (or the Godlike bot). If I start "flowing" enough my conscious mind doesn't even get in the way (hence the 'twitch' appellation), that's how I come out on top. Economy of thought. Doesn't work as well in CTF with team damage on...
I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.
They say the technique could ultimately be used to make aircraft controls that respond more quickly to a pilot's actions.
*Pilot cruising around Washington DC on anti-Terrorist patrols*
(Thinking to himself)
"Oh wow, I'm like... right over the White House now, it would like totally suck if I accidentally shot a"
*Missle launches at White House*
"Oh crap!! Do NOT think about launching missles!!"
*Missles launch at various historical monuments*
"Craaaaaap!! My Sarge is gonna KILL M"
*Plane explodes*
Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
This sounds like the experiments done by Benjamin Libet, in which he found that actions are initiated by the brain before one consciously decides to perform them.
"Sir, you're not allowed to place sensors on your opponents."
Another issue is if the AI makes a wrong guess, assuming the pilot wants to "zig", when the pilot wants to "zig-zag" -- doing a multi-stage action. An example would be a driver swerving left and right abruptly to avoid a zombie on the highway.
I can perhaps see a car or plane's AI going into a "ready" state, perhaps doing a fast check of control systems in preparation for some action of the driver/pilot.
I like to call that a Wide Prophet Margin.