IndieGogo funded Interaxion debut US$199 Muse Mind Controller at Le Web in France - Future Silver Lining Playbook for Gaming that'll Exercise the Windmills of Your Mind

“This is the first though-controlled device that's stylish and easy to wear”

Comments by Interaxon CEO Ariel Garten on the Muse Computer Controller at Le Web Conference in Paris, France

Are you a fan of Mind Controlled Gaming or Gaming Peripherals that don’t require physical contact or use Motion Sensors to detect movement? You should be: it’s one of IBM (International Business Machines) top Five Future Trends for the next five (5) years as prognosticated in my Geezam Blog article entitled “IBM’s advent of Mind Reading as Samsung patents Astral Projection Tech as the next Big Thing”.

Then I’ll assume you’ll love this story about the Toronto, Ontario Canada-based Mind Controller startup Interaxon and their latest Bluetooth-connected Mind Controller, the Muse as described in “InteraXon looking for crowdfunding for Muse, a brainwave-sensor headband”, published October 24, 2012 by Bob Yirka, PhysOrg that’s coming in 2013.  That’s in Ontario, Canada folks, same place where RIM (Research in Motion), maker of the Blackberry’s located!

It seems that new controller development’s the way to spark interest in Video Games and gain new followers in the now slowly dying Gaming World, their death being accelerated by smartpjhones and Tablets as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “How the Apple iPad killed Ultrabooks, Printing and the Mouse as the World Rediscovers Tablets”.

To this end, the IndiGogo funded Interaxon’s placing its big bet on the future of Mind Controlled Gaming units via its debut of their US$199 Computer Controller called the Muse as stated in the article “Startup to launch $199 brainwave computer controller in 2013”, published December 4, 2012 3:20 AM PST by Stephen Shankland, CNET News.

Interaxon CEO Ariel Garten Muse controller made its debut in Paris, France at the Le Web Conference for Internet and Web development. For those who’ve been following my little blog, this was long in coming and its development was foretold in my blog article entitled “Neurosky, Mind Controlled Games and Movable Ears - Alpha and Beta Future of Gaming”. This is a big improvement, as the design of the Muse Mind Controller solves some aesthetic problems with the appearance of the product, quote: “This is the first though-controlled device that's stylish and easy to wear”.

So it’s no surprise that Interaxon’s chosen to debut this Bluetooth-connected Muse Mind Controller for computers packed with a few basic games and opened it up to Developers as laid out by Interaxon CEO Ariel Garten, quote “We invite everyone to help unlock the potential of the technology alongside us”.

Console Gaming’s the fastest way to build up a following for an entry-level product that’s still in its infancy. The Muse is an aesthetically beautifully designed and named EEG (Electro encephalograph) that converts so-called brainwaves into motion via its four (4) EEG Sensors built into this US$199 controller.

Quick recap on Brainwaves, which consist of two (2) types of brainwaves; Alpha and Beta (Greek for “A” and “B”):

1.      Alpha Waves are associated with relaxation

2.      Beta Waves are associated with concentration

Software interprets the EEG signals from the Muse Mind Controller Headset, filters out the noise and amplified the Alpha and Beta Waves. They’re then relayed via Bluetooth to the computer thus allowing the wearer to control the Gaming Unit. For now, the Muse isn’t very useful, aside from adding emotions to documents by varying Fonts or adding emoticons to email and doing very simple browsing task, it’s fairly tame.

However, the new interface peripheral for your Computer, Tablet or Laptop, it’s also a great mind relaxer. Via visual feedback from the use of the device to play games exercise the muscles in your mind! And as with any form of exercise, it’ll initially cause some Muscle strain; users of Mind Controller Headgear have reported headaches and nausea after continued usage. This lightweight glasses-like design should alleviate that problem and the headaches’ll fade with continued usage.

As with any physical task, constant use and practice in focusing your Alpha Waves (Relaxation) and Beta Waves (Concentration) exercises those Windmills of You Mind, The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) Style. This helps you to deal with a range of things from mood swings to anger management; great way to relax from those days at work when nothing’s going your way.

It’s now becoming clear that Americans like alternative ways of interacting with their gadgets  as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Siri and Kinect: Heralds of a coming world free of Remote Controls”. Interaction that’s intuitive and akin to what they’re used to with fellow Humans beings:

1.      Touch as in the case of the Apple iPad and now catching on Microsoft’s debut of the Surface Tablet as described in my blog article entitled “Microsoft debuts Windows 8 with new Surface Tablets - PixelSense rebranding as the Dark Knight Rises to defeat PC World”

2.      3D Motion Capture such as the Nintendo Wii and the Microsoft Kinect controller for the Xbox 360 noted in my blog article as noted in my blog article entitled “Nintendo Wii vs Microsoft Kinect - War of the Worlds in Jodine Spark's Battlefield”

3.      Real-Time Language Translation services such as those offered by Japanese Telecom Provider NTT DoCoMo as described in my blog article entitled “NTT DoCoMo introduces Free Real-Time Language Translation App - A Siri-esque Looper for Increased Business International Calling and Local Advertising Revenue”.

4.      Augmented Reality, which already has practical uses such as virtual shopping as describe in my blog article entitled “QR Codes and Shopping in South Korea - My Science Project for A Virtual Supermarket” and “Daqri combines QR Codes with Augmented Reality - Ads and PR Minority Report Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”

5.      Voice Control such as Siri as described in my Geezam blog article entitled “Siri and Kinect: Heralds of a coming world free of Remote Controls”

Already practical spin-off are in the offing aside from just Mobile Computing and Gaming. In the Medical Field, the Microsoft Kinect’s being used to teach Med Sci Students Surgical Techniques and also keep the operating theater Germ free as noted in my blog article entitled “Microsoft Kinect used to Teach Aneurysm Surgical procedures - A Gross Anatomy Future controlled by Voice and Gestures”. Imagine someone operating on you using the mere power of their mind!

Thus Big things are expected of this foray into Mind Controller, now finally getting a serious push in 2013 and seeing an increase in the number of competitors in this burgeoning field, already occupied by other players such as Neurosky. Gaming’s the natural way to go initially as predicted in foretold in my blog article entitled “Neurosky, Mind Controlled Games and Movable Ears - Alpha and Beta Future of Gaming”. 

Combine this with the above and the Future applications being developed by Developers will result in this new Device catching on in the PC World in Mind Controller Designer’s Silver Linings Playbook (2012).