Ultimate Human-Powered Brain Scanner -A Self-sustaining Mind Reader
Apparently upset that their creations haven't destroyed humanity yet, scientists are now building machines directly from movies where we've been enslaved. The Holst Center has developed a device that harvests human body heat to power a brain-scanning sensor system. They call it a "battery-free wireless EEG", presumably because being honest and calling it "Agent Smith" would lead to legal trouble (at least until Sentinel units destroyed the Warner Bros lawyers).
This is the latest in a series of such brain scanners, as the developers realize that a brain scanner doesn't just have to work: it has to be something that people are prepared to put on their head. Previous iterations were much bulkier and required a large array of thermoelectric panels on the forehead - so as well as neck pain, the user looked like a particularly fashion-unconscious Raelian. A sensor that picked up nothing but the brainwaves of "shame" and "embarrassment" wasn't much use - you can get the same effect by forcing someone to wear sweatpants - so a new hybrid power technology was developed.
The system still generates energy from human heat, but supplements this power with photosensitive cells. You don't have to start sunbathing to generate data as the photovoltaics are tuned for ambient light levels. In a cunning piece of design these super-sensitive solar panels act as heat-radiators which increase the efficiency of the thermal power system - a nice touch, as the modern man demands efficiency from his horrific robo-brain parasites. The gadget can also pass as a set of headphones, and while it looks a few decades behind the brand-name chic of iPod buds, at least it doesn't make the wearer look like a Borg anymore.
The makers promise applications in medicine and research, yadda yadda, all the usual boring and "useful" applications. The facts: this is an honest-to-god wireless brain scanner which can hook up to a regular PC, and if you can't think of awesome applications for that there's a good chance someone is reading this out to you from the strange "shiny box" on the table. A similar gaming product, the "Emotiv", is already on the cards, and the first person to hook up neuro-interpreters to something visible like an iPhone will trigger a renaissance in human interactions. Not to mention how much more honest status messages will get.
Posted by Luke McKinney.
If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on Digg, Reddit, or StumbleUpon.Thanks!
Emotiv gaming headset http://www.emotiv.com/
Comments