Emotiv Systems

Emotiv Systems is an Australian-origin [ [http://emotiv.com/corporate/5_0/5_1.htm Contact ] ] electronics company developing brain-computer interfaces based on electroencephalography (EEG) technology. Emotiv Systems was founded in 2003 by four scientists and executives: neuroscientist Professor Allan Snyder, chip-designer Neil Westehttp://www.tvp.com.au/portfolio/news/Emotiv-PR-March2007.pdf] , and technology entrepreneurs Tan Le (B. Comm. in 1998 from Monash University) [ [http://emotiv.com/corporate/4_0/4_3.htm#tan Board of Directors ] ] and Nam Do [ [http://emotiv.com/corporate/4_0/4_3.htm#nam Board of Directors ] ] .

EPOC, their gaming-peripheral, release date is provisionally set at Christmas 2008, with a price tag of US$299 [http://grinding.be/2008/03/22/emotiv-epoc-neuroheadset-update/ grinding.be » Blog Archive » Emotiv EPOC Neuroheadset Update ] ] , though lower-prices or free-items might be given to special, early-bird and/or needy customers.Currently, not even people from its own country Australia can reserve EPOC. Only people from the United States can reserve the EPOC headsets. [ [http://emotiv.com/corporate/2_0/2_4.htm Reserve ] ]

For comparison with OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator and other devices, see Comparison of Consumer Brain-Computer Interface Devices.

Emotiv EPOC

"This sub-article is about Emotiv EPOC, a peripheral for gaming on Windows PCs. For other uses, see EPOC (disambiguation)."

Their only current product, to be released in 2009 [http://malachid.blogspot.com/2008/09/emotiv-epoc-delay.html] , is the Emotiv EPOC peripheral for gaming on Windows PCs. But future applications for the Emotiv technology and interface span a variety of potential industries -- interactive television, accessibility design, market research, medicine, even security -- and plans for introducing Emotiv into these realms and more are already in the works.

The Emotiv headset makes it possible for games to be controlled and influenced by the player's mind, and facial expressions. The Emotiv headset uses a set of sensors to tune into electric signals naturally produced by the brain to detect player thoughts, feelings and expression. It connects wirelessly with the PC, and may in the future work on other game platforms such as consoles.

Inputs

The EPOC has 16 electrodes [ [http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/686845/Play_Games_With_Your_Mind.html G4 ] ] (fewer than a standard medical EEG but far more than the OCZ NIA which, has 3 electrodes on the front of a headband, and the NeuroSky, which has only one). It also has a two-axis gyro for measuring head rotation.

It can measure four categories of inputs:

* Conscious thoughts (Cognitiv suite): Imagining 12 kinds of movement (6 directions and 6 rotations), plus 1 other visualization ("disappear"), can be detected. However the current driver can only listen for any 4 of these at a time. Videos of Emotiv employees playing The Game show a high degree of difficulty in performing these mental actions, even for experienced users. However that might be a deliberate game feature and lower difficulty levels might be possible. Users can train the 13 visualizations to totally different thoughts than the ones specified, but detection ability will be worseFact|date=April 2008. The "disappear" visualization was a recent addition. New ones may be added before it is released. Due to the complex detection algorithms involved, there is a slight lag in detecting thoughts, making them more suitable for games like Harry Potter than FPS games. [http://ablegamers.com/index.php/Disabled-Gamers-News/Emotiv-Interview.html]
* Emotions (Affectiv suite): "Excitement", "Engagement/Boredom", "Meditation", and "Frustration" can currently be measured. Emotiv admits that the names may not perfectly reflect exactly what the emotion is, and says that they may be renamed before the product release. Also, additional emotions may be added.
* Facial expressions (Expressiv suite): Individual eyelid positions, horizontal eye position, eyebrow position, smiling, laughing, clenching, and smirking, can currently be detected. Other expressions may be added prior to release. The expressions are detected by the EEG due to signals to facial muscles, rather than by reading brainwaves. Unlike reading thoughts, these detections are very fast (10ms)Fact|date=April 2008 and are suitable for fast paced games like the FPS genre.
* Head rotation: The angular velocity of your head can be measured in the yaw and pitch (but not roll) directions. This is detected by gyros, and isn't related to the EEG features.

Software & SDK

The Emotiv EPOC will ship with a game by Demiurge Studios, previously called "The Game", built on the Unreal engine. Videos of portions of the game have been shown at conferences and in media interviews. The game involves a first person view of the user walking around a virtual environment, with many different activities at different locations. The sky changes color according to the mood of the player. Demonstrated activities in the game include pushing and rotating giant stone structures into the shape of stone henge, then raising a temple from below the ground; levitating a large rock and some smaller ones; repairing a bridge; bending a tree; and scaring away glowing spirits with scary facial expressions.

The EPOC also includes "EmoKey" software used to emulate keystrokes based on combinations of thoughts, feelings, and facial expressions. Any EPOC detection can be paired with keystrokes or string of keystrokes through a simple user interface by the end user. Future versions will also emulate the mouse based on the gyros. This software allows most existing games, instant messaging programs, and other software to be controlled with the headset.

There is also a planned piece of software, or possibly a web site, known as "Emortal", for listening to music, viewing photos, and other activities, modified based on what you are thinking and feeling.

And there is Emotiv Control Panel, also seen in many videos, which allows users to train the various thoughts, such as "push" and "disappear", and test them on a floating, bobbing, cube. It also allows users to view their emotional state, such as "excitement", on a graph. And it has a 2D Blue Avatar for viewing their own facial expressions, and adjusting the sensitivity of those detections.

A free SDK (called SDK Lite) is also available for download from the Emotiv website. It includes software to emulate the Emotiv EPOC for developers who do not have one of the (beta version) headsets.

Suites

The headset has three main Suites:

The Affectiv Suite - Monitors players’ emotional states in real-time, providing an extra dimension in game interaction by allowing the game to respond to players’ emotions.

The Cognitiv Suite - Reads and interprets players’ conscious thoughts and intent and can differentiate between multiple conscious thought commands. The Cognitiv suite reads the player’s thoughts and intent, such as lifting an object, and sends commands through the API to levitate the object in the virtual world. (A demo application demostrated: lift, drop, push, zoom, left, right, rotate CW (object), rotate CCW (object), rotate left (player), rotate right (player), rotate backward, rotate forward and disappear (object).

The Expressiv Suite - Uses signals measured by the neuroheadset to interpret players’ facial expressions in real-time. The Expressiv suite provides a natural enhancement to game interaction by enabling game characters to mirror the reactions and expression of the player in real time, including complex non-verbal expressions.

Interface details & wireless frequency

Emotiv’s headset is wireless transmitting via a 2.4-GHz wireless channel to a computer or game controller via a USB dongle.

A development of the Cognitiv Suite going by the name of EmoKey lets you map your thoughts to keys, potentially enabling game play (like World of Warcraft) and standard applications mapping - such as web browsing and avatar contol in Second Life.

Cost-comparison

EPOC, and similar competing devices, are in the hundreds or less, whereas most EEG machines cost between $50,000 and $250,000 [ [http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2008-08-04-epoc-headset_N.htm Let video games read your mind with headset - USATODAY.com] ] .

Release-date

EPOC is scheduled for release in 2009 [http://malachid.blogspot.com/2008/09/emotiv-epoc-delay.html] .

Company

Emotiv is a technology company based in Australia and U.S. working on a brain-computer interface technology that can detect and process both human conscious thoughts and non-conscious emotions.

Emotiv Systems was founded in Sydney, Australia in 2003 by four individuals: neuroscientist Professor Allan Snyder, chip-design pioneer Neil Weste, and technology entrepreneurs Tan Le and Nam Do.

Investors [ [http://emotiv.com/corporate/4_0/4_6.htm Investors ] ]

Emotiv has raised $6.3 million in funding to date (March 2007). Its investors include Technology Venture Partners (TVP), Epicure Capital Partners and the Australian Federal Government. [ [http://venturebeat.com/2007/03/08/roundup-the-vc-tax-skypes-paid-calls-emotivs-brain-joystick/ Roundup: The VC tax, Skype’s paid calls, Emotiv’s brain joystick » VentureBeat ] ]

* Technology Venture Partners (TVP)Technology Venture Partners is one of Australia’s leading venture capital firms. TVP manages the largest fund in Australia dedicated to Information, Communication, and New Media investments. Formed in 1997, TVP is based in Sydney, Australia. [http://www.tvp.com.au]

* Epicure Capital PartnersEpicure Capital Partners is an investment firm with a focus on long-term investments in early to mid-stage companies. Epicure utilizes their investment banking, capital markets and structured finance expertise to invest across a range of sectors.

Marketing

At the Game Developers Conference 2008, in San Francisco an Emotiv headset was among the new video game input devices there. The demo played with the Emotiv was a puzzle where the player rebuilds Stonehenge. To do so, the wearer did hand motions such as, pushing and pulling to restore Stonehenge. [ [http://www.pcworld.com/video/id,722-page,1-bid,0/video.html Game Developers Conference 2008] ]

Competitors

Emotiv has two main commercial-competitors in the area of consumer EEG technology for gaming- and PC-users. The competitors have gone for a lower price, but with much fewer electrodes and thus less detectionsFact|date=April 2008.

OCZ has a $160 US Neural Impulse Actuator with 3 electrodes on the front of a headband [http://www.legitreviews.com/article/475/1/ - CeBIT 2007 Highlights - The Neural Impulse Actuator] . OCZ are hoping to gain market share by bringing their product out first (May, 2008). Unlike Emotiv, they are marketing it as a faster, more efficient way of controlling existing games and applications (mostly using facial expressions), instead of as a more immersive way of triggering magical abilities in games or making avatars show your facial expressions.

NeuroSky has a very cheap single electrode headset. However they are not marketing it directly to the public. They are selling their technology in bulk to other companies for those companies to incorporate into their products. Currently Neurosky's headset can only detect the strength of two emotionsFact|date=April 2008.

There is also an existing game machine table based on EEGs, called Mindball (Interactive Productline in Sweden). Players must move a ball on the table by relaxing and not thinking, until the ball reaches the opponent's circle. The machine costs roughly $20,000 US and is usually rented out to groups. Two players sit across from each other at a table, focusing on a small white ball. The objective is to make the ball roll toward your opponent and away from you, using only your mind. Headbands measure the players´ alpha waves, and the ball rolls away from the player with the calmest mind.

Several other companies - including EmSense in Monterey, California; NeuroSky in San Jose, California; and Hitachi in Tokyo - are also developing technology to detect players´ brainwaves and use them in next-gen video games.

While Emotiv´s headset contains 16 sensors, NeuroSky´s has one, however NeuroSky has existing partnerships with Sega Toys Co. in Tokyo and Musinaut in Paris, an interactive music technology maker that allows users to control the music they hear in a headset based on their thoughts and mood.

EmSense, also in San Francisco, offers technology that focuses on business uses, according to its Web site. It also makes a headset that monitors a person’s neurological and biological impulses to measure the effectiveness of advertising and political speeches.

References

ee also

*Comparison of consumer brain-computer interface devices

External links

* [http://www.emotiv.com Official company website]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7254078.stm BBC article]
* [http://revver.com/video/793510/affiliate/91725/emotiv-a-gamezombietv-exclusive-interview/ Live Product Demo by CEO, Nam Do]