OCZ's Brain Mouse Hits the Store

John Roller writes "Three months to the day since Slashdot originally received word that OCZ's "brain-mouse" — the Neural Impulse Actuator was ready for shipping, the first in-depth review of the device containing pictures of the retail packaging along with several videos have arrived on the internet. Overclock3D.Net got the first look at the device, and although it's still early days, they managed to play a game of "Pong" using only brain power. The article is only part one in a month-long log of using the device, but it's extremely interesting to see what the people who have pre-ordered the device can expect from it when it arrives on their doorsteps shortly."

But can it play WoW?

[c0ol (628751)]

I am all for freedom from keyboard hunch

Re:But can it play WoW?

[bloodninja (1291306)]

I am all for freedom from keyboard hunch

Why? You certainly don't need both hands for pr0n.

Re:But can it play WoW?

[BillGod (639198)]

CRAP.. what if you fall asleep with this thing? with my dreams who knows where the hell I will end up surfing!!!

Re:But can it play WoW?

[hords (619030)]

Just imagine waking up to goatse on your screen.

Hurray?

[PunkOfLinux (870955)]

Hurrah? O.o
This sounds interesting, at least. I wonder if it works on linux. Seriously. Does it work as a standard HID device?

Re:

[by Anonymous Coward]

I wondered this myself, but the screenshots on the 3rd page make me think that it doesn't...

They had a "calibration" option, and the application "profile" option (that has the word "joystick" on it).

So out of the box Linux support doesn't look promising...

Re:

[bloodninja (1291306)]

I wondered this myself, but the screenshots on the 3rd page make me think that it doesn't...

They had a "calibration" option, and the application "profile" option (that has the word "joystick" on it).

So out of the box Linux support doesn't look promising...

Exactly what I was thinking. It includes a driver CD, so even if it is HID it will not be fully functional out of the box with Linux. Here's the page where you contact OCZ and let them know that we want Linux support for this thing:
http://www.ocztechnology.com/contact/ [ocztechnology.com]

Re:

[CastrTroy (595695)]

Most of the mice I've seen come with a "driver disk". They come with a little program to let you configure what buttons 3,4,5,6,... do. All the mice work fine in Linux.

Re:Hurray?

[Fred_A (10934)]

All the mice work fine in Linux.

Something else. That's not a given. I once (before I switched to wireless rodents) plugged in a wired Microsoft mouse into my machine.

Well, it looked like it was behaving, but no sooner had I left my seat that it had leaped in /bin and it started trying to strangle cat(1).

Some hardware you just can't trust.

Re:

[PunkOfLinux (870955)]

That doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't function as a standard HID device. I would love to see them port this to linux, if it doesn't already work. I would buy one JUST to support the company for making a linux version.

Brain-Mouse???

[by Anonymous Coward]

They're Pinky and the Brain, yes Pinky and the Brain;

One is a genius, the other's insane;

Two laboratory mice, their genes have been spliced;

Before each night is done their plan will be unfurled;

By the dawning of the sun they'll take over the world;

Their twilight campaign is easy to explain;

To prove their mousy worth, they'll take over the earth;

They're Pinky, They're Pinky and the Brain Brain Brain Brain Brain Brain Brain Brain Narf.

Re:

[ThatDamnMurphyGuy (109869)]

"Pinky, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think so Brain, but why do I always have to wear the tutu?"

One of the greatest cartoons of all times. That and Animaniacs wasted a lot of my Saturday mornings.

Great for non-gaming also

[conlaw (983784)]

Yes, this may help someone to do better in WOW or GTA IV but I'm thinking of some brilliant people whose bodies are hampered by cerebral palsy. Their main -- or sometimes only -- method of communication is through a computer which they may have trouble using because one or both of their hands is not fully functional. One of these units could make a major difference in their lives.

Here endeth the sermonizing.

Re:

[PhrostyMcByte (589271)]

Just use speech recognition. It's not faster than typing or using the mouse, but it's plenty fast enough if you just want to browse the web or send an occasional email.

Re:Great for non-gaming also

[petermgreen (876956)]

That assumes that thier disorder doesn't affect thier speech too badly for speach recognition to work.

There are people who's only means of communication is using a blink movement or similar to select words as a computer scans a grid.

Re:

[Instine (963303)]

I used to work for a lawyer with severe cp and who had very garbled speech, and little use of his muscles. While it took most people some time to understand him, his SR software (Dragon Dictate) seemed no less accurate than with any other user. But he was just one example... There are those whose voice is not up to it. But this could well be a better interface for the guy I know re cursor movement and other 'pointer device' actions (he currently uses a head stick with great difficulty)

Re:

[Splab (574204)]

Microsoft might have a comment on that...

Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all [google.com]

Re:

[lawaetf1 (613291)]

True, this sort of tech could be incredibly liberating for someone with a neurological disorder. I expect, however, that we'll sooner see development in the porn and gaming industries. The demand is simply too huge.

The world of Fahrenheit 451 and/or the Matrix is already here for those who spend their time in front of MMORPGs, SecondLife, and the like. Once we can eliminate the need for our clumsy appendages in interacting with the make-believe we can take another willful nibble of the blue pill. It's

Re:

[Chris Burke (6130)]

It's surely a bad analogy but I see resemblance between bugs in democracy (politicians avoid dealing with looming problems [budget deficit,etc] to achieve short-term goals [reeelction]) and bugs in the human psyche (if it feels good, do it again.. and again.. and again.. even if long-term consequences are massively negative).

Well the fundamental problem is that those consequences are in the future, and the future is by its very nature hypothetical, and any future consequences are also thus hypothetical, and

Re:

[kiehlster (844523)]

I agree this has some nice benefits for the disabled, but it makes me wonder why someone like Stephen Hawking hasn't adopted this kind of device already, instead using a lever by his cheek and blink glasses. Yes he's using old software because he doesn't like the voices on newer software, but he could certainly speed his communication by using his bright mind to point to the text he wants to construct and say.

Head Mouse

[rednip (186217)]

Sorry, but this thing doesn't read minds, it measures movement in facial muscles, particularly in the eye brows. Many may find it useful because of a medical problem, cerebral palsy victims likely would, as fine grain muscle control is needed.

Perhaps it should be call a 'head mouse', or 'face mouse', as 'Brain Mouse' is misleading.

Re:

[doomy (7461)]

Similar devices are already being used to give paralyzed people the ability to walk around and explore virtual worlds. For example recently Japanese scientists from Keio University demoed [virtualworldsnews.com] a product that lets a physically handicapped user interact with a virtual world like Second Life.

This is part of Keio University and Dentsu's joint venture [keio.ac.jp] into Secondlife, UI, interaction and social study.

I have to wonder

[Starteck81 (917280)]

I know it sounds a little far fetched but I have to wonder if this sort of thing could eventually read out minds. How scary would it be if some one could hack your computer and read your mind?

It makes me feel like a Neuromancer [wikipedia.org] future isn't all that far off.

Re:

[Verteiron (224042)]

If someone read my mind they'd deserve every ounce of psychological trauma they received.

Seriously though, this device has nothing to do with mind-reading. It's not even capable of reading brainwaves like an EEG machine. It's just measuring electrical signals to muscles on your face.

Re:

[Kugrian (886993)]

"Stop winking at me!"

"I'm not - I'm trying to send an email!"

Seriously though, decades of keyboard and mouse usage have given me superhero-like fingers when compared to none computer users. Will extended use of this give me a face like a body builders chest?

Re:I have to wonder

[Lord Ender (156273)]

That's a bit like putting a thermometer next to your PC and saying, 'Today we can only tell if it is hot or cold, but someday, we may be able to read every bit on the computer using only the thermometer!'

Neat, but...

[blindd0t (855876)]

This looks really neat, really promising, and is very exciting to see. It does make me think of a few questions though...

• It's not uncommon to use voice-chat while gaming. How is this device affected by those muscle movements and brain activity?
• I often eat and drink while at the PC (i.e. I was on lunch break while reading the article). How do those muscle movements affect the device?
• Given the two points above, is there any quick and easy means of temporarily disabling the device or ignoring the input from it? For example, a hot-key would work, or some head-phones have mute buttons built onto them. Of course, I don't expect it to be perfect, but something like that could help deal with its imperfections.
• What's the price of this thing?!
• How long from now until Hawking can kick our asses in a FPS? =P

Re:Neat, but...

[zsouthboy (1136757)]

The Mighty Steven Hawking is *already* a fucking quake master.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Hawking [wikipedia.org]

New Moderation request

[gclef (96311)]

Can we please have a moderation option for "missed the joke"?

Re:

[Zarf (5735)]

Can we please have a moderation option for "missed the joke"?

Only if we can also have a moderation for complaining about missing moderation options.

-1 bitching about missing mod option.

Interesting idea ... Inconclusive Review

[daviddennis (10926)]

This review seems so inconclusive that I'm not even sure if the device really works, or is something faked up by a charlatan.

A remarkable idea, but if it winds up killing off gamers instead of being their salvation, its life as a product would appear to be nasty, brutish and short.

It seems almost like the Ouija board of computing.

D

Optimism

[foobsr (693224)]

From TFA: "Heading down to HQ, I knew the device would have limitations, but the little kid in me was imagining it granting me near-psychic powers. Unfortunately, after several hours of trying and still only being able to control one input, those limitations look to be greater than I thought. That being said though, I have every confidence that had I played with settings and kept the thing on my head for a few hours a day, I would learn to master more of the inputs and utilize them during gameplay. So if you are looking at buying the nia, I urge you to realize that you are buying a heavily scaled-down version of what you have envisaged." (emphasis mine)

Hmm, given that it lasts a couple of years with continuous martial arts training to establish a process approaching a near optimum with regards to 'naturally given/wired' I/O I still believe that it is appropriate not to be optimistic indeed.

CC.

Re:Optimism

[raddan (519638)]

Actually, I met a software developer for this device at a dinner recently. I, too was skeptical. He said that learning how to use the device takes quite a bit of practice-- because this is like an appendage you never knew you had-- but mainly because controlling things on-screen requires concentration. Basically the problem is this: we deal with distractions all the time; the human brain is really good at doing context switches. But when you wear this interface, those context switches (someone comes up behind you and says "Hi!") change the input to the device. You need to learn to control those state changes-- you can do it, but it takes practice. He assured me that after some practice, this becomes much easier.

As a side note-- this would be a great tool for learning how to beat polygraph exams! "Escape from Gitmo" for PS3 coming soon! ;^)

Re:

[foobsr (693224)]

controlling things on-screen requires concentration

Never yet encountered an interface as discussed here in vivo, but I would guess that 'concentration' might not be the proper way, I tend to think that an appropriate distribution of attention would do better. Within that model of thought, your 'context switches' change to a redistribution of attention.

CC.

Re:

[raddan (519638)]

You're right-- "attention" is probably a better word.

Re:

[shirai (42309)]

I take it that this is a lot like using a muscle you've never consciously used before. For example, when I first started taking dance lessons, I found it VERY hard to do things that seemed like they should be easy. Moving specific parts of your body in isolation is a lot harder than it should be. Especially if they are muscles you aren't used to using in your daily life.

Similarly, I think if these products ever become popular, there will be a generation of people who will find using them completely natural.

Re:

[foobsr (693224)]

this is a lot like using a muscle you've never consciously used before

Agreed; though, imagine you had the task to 'consciously' control all the muscles involved in an arbitrary day-to-day movement (e.g. something as 'simple' as walking :-)

CC.

Stephen Hawking

[yorkrj (658277)]

I wonder if this would do any good for Stephen Hawking and others afflicted with ALS?

Re:

[n3tcat (664243)]

Considering he's slowly running out of body parts to communicate with (it's his eyes now, right?), I'd say you're on the right thought track.

Re:

[DMUTPeregrine (612791)]

The problem is that ALS is degeneration of the motor nerves, and this senses signals sent to those. True, it senses signals too small to actually move the muscle, but it still relies on the nerves that are degrading.

Oww my head!

[joe_n_bloe (244407)]

Is a headache the new RSD?

1 dof

[trb (8509)]

Pong paddle control requires movement in only one dimension. A typical mouse coordinates movement in two dimensions (without scroll wheels, buttons, etc). I am not familiar with the OCZ device, but using Pong as a demo seems like a low hurdle for a pointing device or for a device that interprets brain stimuli.

Re:

[Bandman (86149)]

I agree. Up and down is easy. Add right and left, and it gets just a bit more difficult.

Maybe in another 10 years, we'll have

"click here, vi /etc/hosts, etc etc"

Where can you buy!!?!?

[netsavior (627338)]

I would buy one today (even if just pre-ordering) if there was ANY link anywhere on where to freaking buy it... anyone? The slashdotting of 3doverclockedz0mgkfcbbq.com or whatever doesn't help matters either.

Link Page Down

[writerjosh (862522)]

Try these links instead: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/475/1/ [legitreviews.com] http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38413 [ocztechnologyforum.com]

Inside the NIA

[slifox (605302)]

For those interested in whats inside the OCZ NIA, AnandTech has a product teardown available

Anyone else have specific info on whats inside, etc? First thought that comes to me is, I want to make one myself!

Teardown Article:
http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=452 [anandtech.com]

Picture Gallery:
http://www.anandtech.com/Gallery.aspx?id=123 [anandtech.com]

I want this with a programmable interface

[infolib (618234)]

This thing is probably Very Nice (if it wasn't slashdotted) but I'd want to pass the raw output to my own data analysis algorithms. Why should it just be a gaming device? I guess it can double as a sleep rythm detector, or maybe I can tune it to work with me, instead of the other way around.

Re:

[dAzED1 (33635)]

cars have these things at your fingertips on the steering wheel in newer models; one doesn't need to look away from the road to find a knob, or even take their hands off the wheel. Check out a showroom for details ;)

Re:

[Vectronic (1221470)]

I'd have to disagree, they are already making cameras and even just lazers, that track your face and facial movements to do those things, which is far less intrusive (by my understanding) than wearing a headband sort of thing, safer, perhaps, more enjoyable? probably not.

Re:

[Bandman (86149)]

I played with one of those in a CompUSA. You put your hand on this trackball looking thing, except there was no trackball. There was a nub by your finger, and your micromuscle movements indicated to the computer what you wanted to do. I played that ski free game with it.