GDC 2015 Day 0: MindMaze Demos Brain Powered VR Headset [Video]

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Bringing medical-grade technology to the consumer space

One of the running themes at the 2015 Game Developer Conference (GDC) is virtual reality, a space that's attracting an increasing number of players as the technology inches closer to becoming mainstream. One company to keep an eye on is MindMaze, makers of a prototype "neuro-goggle" headset that combines a potpourri of technologies, including augmented reality, virtual reality, motion capture, and even neurosensing.
It's part of a platform called MindLeap, and among other things, this multifaceted headset can read your brain waves, according to MindMaze CEO and founder Tej Tadi. It's a fantastic claim that is anything but new at GDC and other similar events, but Tadi isn't a Johnny-come-lately that's trying to hop on a bandwagon here. He's a neuroscientist who's been using virtuall reality technology in the medical field for about a decade, helping patients overcome neurological deficits.

To those who are skeptical of a brain-powered headset, Tadi points out that the technology already exists in the medical field, where neuroscience has helped patients control robotic arms. There's also clinical data available. MindPlay is partially an attempt to take the same technology and port it over to the consumer space.
Before we go on, have a look at the headset in action:

What you see in the video above is a short demo of the different technologies. By looking left, the headset presents a virtual reality landscape, and when you turn to the right, it switches into augmented reality. As we saw with Microsoft's HoloLens, the AR mode allows you to interact with the real world, depending on the available content. In the demo, you see the user's hands on fire, and he's able to touch another person in the room, setting them ablaze in the process.

This is a complex headset that combines VR technologies like the ones Oculus and Valve are using, with AR technology like HoloLens, and then adding other elements into the mix, the biggest being neurosensing. The demo of the user's hands on fire helps visualize all three main traits -- you see the hands on fire (AR) and you can either enter a virtual world to get rid of the fire (VR), or turn the fire into snow by calming down and relaxing (neurosensing).
Here's a more in-depth explanation by Tadi himself:

MindMaze is currently in talks with hardware and content makers about licensing the technology in MindPlay. The company may also offer its own hardware. If all goes to plan, a developers kit should be available by the end of the year or early 2016.


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