RTI International will host a demonstration on September 22nd of a new biofeedback-based controller for video games and software simulations. Called Mindshift, the new type of controller system was developed by researchers at the NASA Langley Research Center.
RTI is holding the briefing and demonstration of the technology on its main campus in Research Triangle Park to help NASA attract licensing and partnership interest.
Mindshift allows modulation of player inputs to a video game or simulation from a user interface device based on the player's psychophysiological state. It exploits current wireless motion-sensing technologies to use physiological signals for input modulation, including heart rate, muscle tension and brain wave activity, among others.
The Mindshift technology has been successfully prototyped using the Nintendo(TM) Wii(TM) console and the accompanying wireless Wii(TM) remote. Prototypes have been designed and are being developed to extend this technology's capability to the Playstation(TM) Move(TM), Xbox(TM) Kinect(TM), and other game platforms.
According to developers, the controller system can be used to enhance multi-player game play. For example, in a multi-player environment such as a videogame tournament, it can allow players to interact with the game, and compete with each other, on a psychophysiological level, adding a new dimension to play - as well as expanding the skill set required.
The Mindshift technology's development is being led by Alan Pope, a Langley Research Center senior research scientist. His previous contributions in this field include technology that uses physiological signals to modulate the manual inputs a player makes to the buttons or joysticks of a video game hand controller. The new technology allows a player to make inputs to a video game by moving the entire controller itself, entailing an entirely new approach to integrating psychophysiological signals into game play.
The Sept. 22 briefing will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Building O8 on the RTI campus. Attendance is by invitation. To inquire about attending, or for additional information, please contact Brent Fagg 919-541-6969, BrentFagg@rti.org.
On Sept. 21 (the day before the demonstration), there will be a reception for the Mindshift developers and a gaming networking event at Noir Lounge in downtown Raleigh, from 7 to 10 p.m. This event is open to everyone, and will be of particular interest to game developers and other game enthusiasts. It is being sponsored by Noir Lounge, the Triangle Game Initiative and UDig.
With a cadre of its own advanced technology researchers, RTI has a long track record of assisting NASA to evaluate inventions with civilian (non-governmental) applications and license them to qualified commercial and industrial partners.
