What will the Emotiv headset bring to our daily existence?

The Emotiv headset is known as a pioneering gadget that enables a consumer to work together with the virtual situation by reading his/her ‘thoughts’. Essentially, the headset records the brain’s electrical signals and interprets your thinking-orders into virtual actions.

The Emotiv headphone works by using a tool generally known as an EEG, or electroencephalograph, to monitor the brain waves (and emotional responses) of every gamer, virtually instantaneously translating those readings into digital reactions, movements and movement.

The practical functions could be enormously decent, but also potentially hideous. On the plus side, disabled people could have their lives entirely turned around, regaining an unlimited amount of independence by thought-controlling many home appliances. To develop the concept, paraplegic and quadriplegic users might create thought-controlled virtual avatars and cooperate with others in real time.

The possibility to revolutionize the world of gaming can be very evident, as Jane McGrath, of How StuffWorks.com, describes,

“If the EEG gaming technology eventually catches on, it could revolutionize the way people think about video games in much the same way the Nintendo Wii did (or perhaps more). On the one hand, with its facial expression interpretations, the Emotiv EPOC attempts to close the gap further between the real world and the virtual world to create a more realistic experience, much like the Wii does. On the other hand, the Emotiv EPOC also tries to bridge the gap between human thought and the outside world to create an experience that’s less like reality and more fantastical and dreamlike. The technology behind EPOC eliminates the middleman of motion altogether — a staggering thought to consider”.

Of a potential downside, that’s possibly chasmic, McGrath claims.

“Should researchers continue making more breakthroughs to advance EEG technology, it could plausibly lead to computers that can, in essence, read someone’s mind. Those with the technology could be privy to the private thoughts, opinions and emotions of others. Granted, this could be very far off, considering where the technology (and our understanding of the human brain) is now. Nevertheless, we can’t rule out the possibility entirely. Perhaps we shouldn’t dismiss the prospect of Thought Police (like that in George Orwell’s “1984”) as mere alarmism”.

Simply, this object freeks me out. I just do not like the idea of a thought-activated PC, it makes my body crawl. But hey, that’s just me. Also, if you’re a male of our species, you’d possibly be dredging up porn sites every seven seconds.

It’s also been suggested in some quarters you’ll be able to simply think of an individual and that said PC system will automatically place a call to them. The very last thing I desire to do is be considering some old girlfriend of suchlike and unexpectedly end up phoning her. No, just no. That is a can of worms that basically does not need opening up, thank you very much.

On the other hand, whatever my opinion on it happen being (and, for now at least, I have the choice to keep them personal), the Emotiv Epoc headphones will soon be there for the common customer, priced around $299 (that’s just under £200 to us Brits).