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credit: OpenBCI ant its Open Source Brain-Computer Interface
OpenBCI, a Brooklyn-based neurotechnology company,
announced last week a new hardware and software platform called Galea conceived
specifically for immersive headsets, which combines mixed reality with
state-of-the-art biosensing and brain-computer interfacing (BCI) technology.
The headgear comes equipped with multiple sensors to simultaneously
monitor biometric data streams in real time and is designed to seamlessly
attach to head-mounted displays (HMD), including virtual reality (VR) or
augmented reality (AR) devices. Galea also
includes robust SDKs to bring biometric data into common development
environments and enable researchers and developers across industries to produce
next generation experiences through neurotechnology.
Galea is said
to include several sensors, such as electroencephalogram (EEG),
electrooculography (EOG) electromyography (EMG), electrodermal activity (EDA),
and photoplethysmography (PPG) to accurately quantify human emotions and facial
expressions such as happiness, anxiety, depression, attention span, interest
level, and more.
According to the company, the platform's real-time analytics suite
measures data from the brain, eyes, heart, skin, and muscles, allowing
researchers and developers to objectively measure user experiences and internal
states and use it for creating highly immersive content tailored to a person's
biological responses.
In his talk at GDC 2019 on Brain-Computer
Interfaces: One Possible Future for How We Play, Mike Ambinder,
Principal Experimental Psychologist at Valve, explained how BCIs could inform
the future of game design – “a near future where VR/AR headsets are kitted with
non-invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) devices that could one day provide data
to game designers so they can create a new generation of smarter, more reactive
games.”
Apparently, the near future is now!
Ambinder explained that many of the traditionally measurable ‘bio-feedback’
such as heart-rate, galvanic skin response, eye movement, facial expression,
muscle tension, and physical posture are all important to understanding what’s
happening to the player at any given moment, although he argues that reaching
into the core of the matter, the brain itself, is the frontier that holds the
most promise for game developers. “The long-term view is definitely trending
towards neuronal implants,” he added, “but we’re not there yet.”
OpenBCI offers the only consumer-grade biosensing system built with
open-source software and hardware. The company's headsets, biosensing boards,
and electrodes allow for high resolution imaging and recording of EMG, ECG, and
EEG signals and is used by researchers, academic labs, artists, and developers
in 89 countries for prototyping and exploring the future of neurotechnology.
Guillermo Bernal, MIT researcher, OpenBCI user and key engineer for Galea said
“the platform will enable the evaluation and customization of virtual experiences
in a way that hasn't been possible before. This will be achieved by augmenting
closed-loop interventions in multi-modal data streams related to the user's
behavior and affective responses."
Starting next year, OpenBCI will provide early access to researchers
and developers aiming to leverage BCI combined with mixed reality for
commercial and research applications.
About OpenBCI
OpenBCI was founded by Joel Murphy and Conor
Russomanno, present CEO, after a successful Kickstarter
campaign in late 2013 and has been creating open-source tools for
biosensing and neuroscience since 2014.
Based in Brooklyn, NY, the company's hardware and software products
enable a global community of scientists, designers, artists, and engineers to
further the understanding of the human body and mind.