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Open-Source Gear For Making Mind-Controlled Gadgets

Posted by samzenpus on from the free-your-mind dept.

the_newsbeagle writes If you've been hankering to control a robotic battle spider with your mind but haven't known how to begin, you're in luck. A startup called OpenBCI is now selling an Arduino-compatible board that any reasonably competent DIYer can use to build a brain-computer interface. The board takes in data from up to 8 EEG scalp electrodes, and hackers are already using it to pull of some good tricks. There's the guy with the battle spiders, and there's a group in L.A. building a paint-by-brain system for a paralyzed graffiti artist.

32 comments

  1. Wrong system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "There's the guy with the battle spiders, and there's a group in L.A. building a paint-by-brain system for a paralyzed graffiti artist."

    We'd prefer a system that's able to paralyze graffiti 'artists'.

    1. Re:Wrong system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      fuck oth

      hope that cunt got paralyzed while graffiti'ng something

    2. Re:Wrong system by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Be a shame of paralysis cuts short a vandalism career. If the "artist" got permission first before painting the wall then it's not graffiti anymore.

    3. Re:Wrong system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For every house you don't tag,

      I'm tagging a whole neighborhood. :) fuck yourself.

    4. Re:Wrong system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's so inspiring that someone is inventing a gadget to let gang bangers paralyzed in gangland shootings be able to deface buildings again.

      captcha: deface

    5. Re:Wrong system by flyneye · · Score: 1

      I had been thinking along the lines of an open source program to mind control turret mounted automatic weapons and lock on missles for that less tense commute back to the house. It's far safer to keep both hands on the wheel.

      --
      *Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
  2. LOL ... by gstoddart · · Score: 2

    I for one welcome our new mind-controlled battle-spider overlords.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:LOL ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't worry. According to the Slashdotters wielding the Square-Cubed law, a battle spider the size of a cubic meter would be roughly one million kilotons and would quickly collapse into a black hole if any larger. It's practically impossible to make a robotic battle spider, according to Slashdotters wielding the Square-Cubed law!

    2. Re:LOL ... by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      a battle spider the size of a cubic meter would be roughly one million kilotons and would quickly collapse into a black hole if any larger

      So, make a billion smaller spiders around a cubic liter ... do I have to think of everything?

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  3. link error by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    sorry noam, error on my part http://www.democracynow.org/2014/8/7/a_hideous_atrocity_noam_chomsky_on

    WMD on credit results so far

  4. Sister by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This guy really wants to hook it up to his sister. He thinks he may be able to finally get laid.

  5. Where's the video of robot spider mind control? by meustrus · · Score: 1

    I clicked the link hoping to see a video of "the guy with the battle spiders" but was disappointed. Why would you advertise robot spider mind control and not put up a video? Now I have sad face :(

    --
    I sometimes ask revealing, often ignorant-seeming questions. Maybe they're harder to answer than you think.
    1. Re:Where's the video of robot spider mind control? by meustrus · · Score: 1

      Correction: where's the good video? I guess I was expecting to see a horde of the things coming down the street, or at least something better controlled.

      --
      I sometimes ask revealing, often ignorant-seeming questions. Maybe they're harder to answer than you think.
    2. Re:Where's the video of robot spider mind control? by AlCapwn · · Score: 0

      If you had a mind controlled robot spider, would you be wasting your time uploading a video?

    3. Re:Where's the video of robot spider mind control? by gstoddart · · Score: 2

      If you had a mind controlled robot spider, would you be wasting your time uploading a video?

      Only if it began with "Attention people of Earth" ...

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    4. Re:Where's the video of robot spider mind control? by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    5. Re:Where's the video of robot spider mind control? by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      there you types go again, demanding reality and proof anytime sales efforts based on hype are made. where is your hope, your dreams, vision? and most importantly, your wallet?

  6. Show me the source. by LordMyren · · Score: 1

    Where is the source? The Github repo says "This repository contains the core OpenBCI hardware and software frameworks," but there's no schematics, no board layout, nothing.

    The $500 price tag seems absolutely absurd for what is essentially an already-made $30 ADC and it's breakout board.

    1. Re:Show me the source. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the main issue here might be the software filtering the actual neural impulse from the surrounding static.

      I tried my hand at a project like this. The hardware is trivial. The problem is not getting readings from the electrodes. That's fairly trivial and something you can accomplish with any halfway decent EEG system, which you can rather easily build yourself. As you said (almost) correctly, it's basically a ADC, though some amplification would be nice to actually get a wee bit of a signal at all.

      There are two things that make your life complicated. First one is shared by every EEG application: Noise. You're dealing with VERY faint signals here. Running it next to a computer or similar electronic device is like trying to listen to some birds singing right under the entry lane of your average international airport. Telling signal from noise is your first obstacle.

      And once you mastered that one, the much bigger one is ahead of you (and something your average EEG needn't even consider): Telling normal brain activity from "commands". Of course you can go the path that they did and simply exploit various normal brain reactions to stimuli and consider that a command, but ... frankly, that's cheap.

  7. brain control by MooseTick · · Score: 1

    Mind control is good and all, but brain control is where the real power is. ....
    And I release you!

    --
    Ninjas don't carry tic tacs
  8. aww by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i thought we were going to see a bunch of real spiders battle each other, whose minds were being controlled by humans!

  9. Combined projects by aprentic · · Score: 1

    This would go really well with a wearable computer and a HUD.
    If I could get one of these and a set of Meta Space Glasses I'd have one more really awesome project that I never got around to working on.

  10. This might be better... by mspohr · · Score: 1

    This one looks like it's more complete (includes headset)... plus, it seems to be cheaper.
    Not sure about how "open" it is, though.

    https://www.kickstarter.com/pr...

    --
    I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
  11. Droids by ubrgeek · · Score: 1

    Unless these are not the droids you are looking for.

    --
    Bark less. Wag more.
  12. Someone had to say it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Was it only me who read "paralysed graffiti artist" - and thought "best kind"?

    The wave of graffiti that permeates our cities is tedious, destructive, and almost completely free of artistic expression.
    It costs a fortune to clean up, and adds nothing to the environment.

    Even skateboards have more saving graces - despite the massive damage they do to the urban environment (do you remember when handrails could actually be used for that, without the huge gouges? I do), at least they offer youth transport, some fitness and physical prowess. If only they'd stop grinding every damned edge they can find, I'd actually like them.

  13. Just curious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wonder if something like this could help Stephen Hawking....

  14. Open-Source Gear For Making Mind-Control Gadget by storkus · · Score: 1

    Am I the only one who read this as Mind-Control(ling)? And here I thought I could make a Arduino version of the Chum Bucket Mind Control Helmet and capture me a girlfriend...oh, well...

  15. Just curious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Jesus could help him if he'd only stop disbelieving in God.