Exploring New Horizons with Brain Wave Reading Technology

As humans we are constantly searching for something to make us better, smarter, or healthier. We accomplish this goal through developments of new medicine, new discoveries on healthier living, and now, some are saying, transcranial direct-current stimulation. Known as tDCS, this form of human "improvement" requires a person to be hooked up to a battery so that electric currents can course through their brain. Although this treatment is supposedly 100% safe and painless, one must consider the possible long-term implications of a device with this sort of power. Instead of receiving shocks from a machine to improve brain function, there is a safer technology now on the market which can produce some of the same benefits. This device is a newly developed technology by NeuroSky which enables everyone from gamers to health gurus to safely enjoy its products. Their headset allows you to control a game with your brainwaves and increase brain capacity, decrease stress, and improve overall quality of life through meditation; this technology is versatile and has many useful, real-life applications, even beyond gaming and meditating. The technology by NeuroSky provides us with an alternate way to improve life and brain function in a more natural and safe way. You don't have to be shocked by powerful electricity with unknown long-term effects. In fact, you only have to wear a simple and comfortable device.

For many years people have been tossing around the really revolutionary idea of controlling a game with just the human mind. The idea has been portrayed in a good and bad light (bad like in the Bruce Willis movie Surrogates), though the gaming community is more excited about the possibilities than wary of the consequences. With this technology, users could potentially control entire game realms without lifting a finger or opening their mouths. This EEG technology utilizes focus levels to control the outcome in the game, which forces people to improve their brain focus in order to increase their scores. However, at the present levels, people are only able to play simple games such as ZombiePOP whose graphics and storyline are less than impressive for the modern-day gamer. Many are unsure if this headset can be developed enough so that more complex and interesting games can be played. Although very compelling, this technology has a long way to go in order to engage hard-core gamers and stack up against explorative and absorbing video games like Dead Space 2.

Currently more applicable and also available through the headset technology are meditation apps. These apps help monitor, you guessed it, meditation levels. They keep track of stress levels and can teach you how to meditate properly. These are aimed to help people reduce their overall stress, sleep better, and become generally happier individuals. Headspace, one such meditation app, has a Vimeo video which even provides a viewer the impression that after these mediation techniques are mastered, your brain is no longer a mushy blob, but instead a fit little creature ready to run after anything. Despite the somewhat silly imagery, meditation really is a tried and true method for shaping up the brain. People who meditate increase their brain power in a natural and long-lasting way. It is also a much safer practice than tDCS and has the additional benefit of emotional regulation.

Other applications for this sort of technology extend beyond gaming and meditation and head into the field of communication. People who have been effected by speech loss could potentially use this sort of technology to write out sentences or even paragraphs. No longer would they be forced to sit in silence; instead they could formulate and communicate their thoughts and wants. This is done by using the same sort of concentration techniques required to play games like ZombiePOP. This technology is not only safer than tDCS, but it also provides a much greater benefit to society: giving those without a voice a way to communicate.

In a test trial, people suffering from speech loss were hooked up to electrodes, and instructed to concentrate on a letter presented on a screen in front of them. Letter by letter, these people were able to create words using EEG technology that interpreted their brain waves. These words often had errors though, because their brain waves were not always properly read. Researchers claim there are too many things such as bone and skin impeding completely accurate readings. In order to get as precise as possible, a person would have to undergo invasive surgery where an incision would be made in the skull to implant the electrodes directly onto the brain. Even though this technology is not completely perfected, with more trials and testing, it can soon be put to mass use.

The future for this technology is exciting, and despite the work that still needs to be done, there are real benefits to be gained from using it today. People can increase their focus using fun gaming applications and they can learn to meditate and even out their stress levels. These benefits expand the brain and make us better humans without requiring us to send electric shocks through our head. Instead of developing an unsafe, unnatural, and temporary way to increase the working power of the brain, we should focus on perfecting NeuroSky's technology, which provides a much greater benefit to society in the long run.