Neural Interface for Boe-Bot or other robots idea

dw101s

Have any of you seen this new game called Mind Flex, made by Mattel

http://www.amazon.com/Mattel-P2639-Mindflex-Game/dp/B001UEUHCG/ref=dp_cp_ob_t_image_2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8STHiP7HZY

It reads you brains level of concentration through a head set which sends signals to a fan which levitates a ball that you have to get through an obstacle course. It seems like this game could easily be hacked and placed on a BoeBot and have the robot do something based on your brain activity.

I wonder if that would be the first attempt to have a neural interface with a parallax robot?

erco

From 2009: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10356484-1.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2007/04/30/tech-toys.html

There was a mind-control prototype game in the news last year with negative feedback: electric shock! Can't find that link right now, but it was funny.

Duane Degn

dw101s,

I purchased one of those MindFlex games. It was easy to hack but the MindFlex doesn't output all the data from the chip. The chip normally outputs the raw data as well as the two composite numbers (I don't remember the names MindFlex uses). One of the parameters MindFlex does output is a quality rating of the connection (with your brain?). The quality value was almost always extremely low.

If I were to do it again (and I might), I'd get the more expensive version that outputs all the data. I don't remember the name of the other (more expensive) product. I'm sure I could find the information if you're interested.

There have been a couple of forum posts about these kind of games. The other game that's been hack is the Star Wars Force Trainer. (I think Odd Bit Collector hacked one of the Force Trainers.)

There is quite a bit of skepticism that these put out any meaningful information. I was initially very skeptical because the game seemed to behave randomly at first but I found whenever I was trying to figure out how to assemble some of the game obstacles, my "concentration" level would consistently jump very high.

I'd be very impressed if someone were able to control a robot with one of these devices.

If you want to pursue this, I'll dig up any information I found and share it with you. I think I have some code I wrote for the Propeller to interface with the MindFlex (it uses a simple serial connection).

Duane

Humanoido

Using the brain as a controller is gaining popularity. The Japanese can even tap into the Brain's vision center and reproduce crude images if you think about various shapes like a circle or X etc. Controlling a Boe-Bot with brain waves is entirely doable.

http://news.cnet.com/The-next-game-controller--your-brain/2100-1043_3-6165143.html

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=head-games-video-controller-brain

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826100006

http://news.bigdownload.com/2009/08/05/emotiv-still-plans-to-release-brain-based-pc-game-controller/

dw101s

Thanks Duane for the first hand account of the Mind Flex.

I was mainly just posing the idea to the forum about neural interfaces. Right now I am focusing on the two rework Penguins that I got and upgrading my Basic Stamp sumo robot into a robot that can move around a sumo ring, find and roll ping pong balls into a net.

Martin_H

dw101s, glad to see someone else mixing Lego and Parallax gear.