Hasta La Gadget!

KDDI R&D laboratories has successfully created one of the first integrations of mobile gaming and neural science. Introduced at today’s International Modern Hospital Show , this app’s ability to measure the amount of concentration and meditation occurring in the brain while the users perform simple tasks or are heavily indulged in their video game, truly grasped our attention.

The user first wears a headband-like headset embedded with tiny sensor chips that detect neural activity in the human brain. A paperclip-like device is then attached to the ear, which acts as a stabilizer to ensure that everything is “balanced” and also as a pulse detector. The app is downloadable for smart phones, and in this case, the Android was our first test device. Three different games were introduced to us and for each, the amount of neural activity going on in the brain was measured. As can be seen below, the games are fairly simple, but require a fair amount of attention. After 30 seconds of play, the app displayed a chart graphing both concentration (focused-state) and meditation (relaxed-state) levels. A diagram also appeared, representing the different areas of the brain that was most used during that span.

The device can be used in other situations as well. Users can focus for around 30 seconds on something that they are passionate about or evokes a particular emotion. The app then displays a graph of the user’s brain activity relating to the amount of focused attention during that period for analysis.

Although still a concept and not on shelves yet, KDDI’s new technology can be seen as a stepping stone towards more interactive neural technology made available for the general public. We can see this type of neuro-wear being implemented not only in people’s daily lives, but in advertising and marketing as well. It would be a great advancement to see this technology being used to detect what sort of ads prove to be the most effective by measuring the amount of generated interest by the consumers.

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