In this recent Ted Global talk, Tan Le of Emotiv Systems demonstrates an innovative EEG headset that can communicate thoughts, emotions, and facial expressions to computers and other machinery. The 14 channel headset requires no scalp preparation or conductive gel, and could be sold for a few hundred dollars rather than the thousands that traditional EEG equipment costs.
Le explains some of the challenges that had to be overcome in the development of the headset: for example, because the cortical folding in each individual’s brain is unique, surface electrical impulses are hard to interpret. To overcome this difficulty, the Emotiv headset uses an algorithm that unfolds the cortex, allowing it to map signals closer to the source so that it can work across large populations.
Because a leveling system is built into the software system, users can train it to differentiate between distinct thoughts, which can then be mapped to various platforms and applications. Besides the obvious potential of the technology for gaming applications, the headset can be used by the disabled to move wheelchairs and operate other machinery. Tan Le discusses these and other exciting possibilities in this July 2010 TEDGlobal talk.
To see the video, go to: http://medhealth.tmcnet.com/.