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A Baseball Hat That Reads Your Mind

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the better-faster-stronger dept.

esocid writes to tell us that researchers from Taiwan have created a new baseball cap complete with embedded bio-signal monitoring system. The purpose was to give a neural interface that could be useful in everyday life. "The cap contains five embedded dry electrodes on the wearer's forehead, and one electrode behind the left ear, that acquire EEG signals. Then, the EEG signals are wirelessly transmitted to a data receiver, where they are processed in real-time by a dual-core processor. The BCI system includes Bluetooth transmission for distances of 10m or less (e.g., for driving applications), as well as RF transmission for distances up to 600m (e.g., for potential sports applications). Next, the processed signals are transmitted back to the cap, where the data can be stored, displayed in real-time on a screen, or be used to trigger an audio warning, if necessary."

11 of 63 comments (clear)

  1. Why a baseball hat? by mrbluze · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why not a propeller-hat? At least that way we have something worth reading.

    --
    Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
    1. Re:Why a baseball hat? by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 5, Funny

      Battery life.

      --

      "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
  2. Results of first reading: by chanrobi · · Score: 4, Funny

    sex sex sex sex sex (lameness filter)

  3. "It looks like an ordinary baseball cap" by hampton · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, other than the GIANT ANTENNA sticking out of it and the scotch tape behind the ear.

  4. Bring on the baseball hat wearing disses by QuantumG · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I used to wear a baseball hat.. for a while I even wore it sideways, or backwards. It was only after I stopped wearing it all together that I noticed how much people were treating me like an idiot. A few years later I discovered I was shorted sighted and got glasses and discovered another way to get people to instantly treat you differently. I hear that if you hold documents at arms length to read them people think you are older and treat you with more respect, haven't tried that one myself.

    So yeah, although you might have some magic baseball hat that makes you smarter, it's not going to matter much, people are still going to treat you like an invalid.

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
    1. Re:Bring on the baseball hat wearing disses by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 4, Funny

      Bring on the baseball hat wearing disses A sideways baseball cap says to the world: "I will never be anyone's boss!"
      A backwards baseball cap adds: "Me too! ...except for that idiot wearing his cap sideways!"

      Was that ok?
      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    2. Re:Bring on the baseball hat wearing disses by owlnation · · Score: 4, Insightful

      We need to change perceptions. A baseball cap is, in fact, a symbol of relative freedom. A business suit -- well, specifically the tie -- is a symbol of modern slavery.

      The irony is that society perceives the tie to be a symbol of someone successful -- where in reality it's most usually a symbol of someone trapped by their own lack of creativity and intellect.

      A tie = a slave collar. The tie is otherwise the singular, most useless, garment on Earth.

  5. Doesn't read your mind. by mrbluze · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The EEG obtains information arising largely from the cortex and the summation of millions of neuronal currents. It is inaccurate and not reliable enough for critical applications (any situation where 'backfiring' is a bad thing).

    As far as I am aware, the state of art of computer interpretation of EEG is only up to monitoring awareness and sleep and possibly detecting seizures, so this would be good for patients in hospitals & home in diagnosing epilepsy.

    Might be useful for train drivers or pilots, though, in detecting a sleeper-at-the-wheel.

    --
    Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
  6. Long ways off from being useful... by Lichetano · · Score: 4, Funny

    Other than the audio warning, this hat idea has a long way to go before it becomes useful. I guess you could make it zap you a little when you're looking at a girl way out of your league. Wait, this just turned into a geek-survival tool. This could work.

    1. Re:Long ways off from being useful... by Mr.+DOS · · Score: 4, Funny

      ...Until you realize that you have to stop looking at females because it's too painful otherwise ;)

      --- Mr. DOS

  7. Luckily... by Looshi · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...it won't be able to penetrate my tinfoil hat.