The EPOC neuroheadset.
The emotiv EPOC is a new technology that allows for advanced human computer communication.
See:
http://www.emotiv.com/apps/epoc/299/
Headset features:
- Limited edition design
- 14 saline sensors offer optimal positioning for accurate spatial resolution
- Gyroscope generates optimal positional information for cursor and camera controls
- Hi-performance wireless gives users total range of motion
- Dongle is USB compatible and requires no custom drivers
- Lithium Battery provides 12 hours of continuous use
- Connects wirelessly to most PCs
Product description:
The recently released emotiv EPOC is a prototype for this project as a whole, meaning it’s still in its early developmental stages. The EPOC allows the user to manipulate an orange cube on the screen by merely thinking its direction. This takes training: the user must think ‘right’ at the same time as he or she physically moves it ‘right’ several times so the EPOC can track and understand the brain activity that causes movement in the ‘right’ direction. The EPOC also allows you to move the mouse on the computer with your thoughts. Furthermore, it tracks facial expressions and gestures through brain signals. For example, it understands a wink or a frown without any cameras or outside sensors.
Understanding the Software.
- The green circles indicate where the external sensors can pick up signals. When all lights are green, the headset fits properly.
- the “Expressiv Suite”: the image of the face mirrors the facial expressions the user is making. According to most users, the eyebrows worked very well while more complex functions like winking and smirking lagged a little. It can interpret player facial expressions in real-time. It provides a natural enhancement to game interaction by allowing game characters to come to life. When a player smiles, their avatar can mimic the expression even before they are aware of their own feelings.
- the “Affectiv Suite”, in which excitement levels are displayed through this graph. The suite monitors emotional states in real time.
- the “Cognitiv Suite” in which the user can push, pull or disappear the graphics on the screen. It reads and interprets a player's conscious thoughts and intent. This specific picture demonstrates the ‘disappear’ function.
The Expansion.
The headset will require some fundamental expansion to be utilized for the Exhibition. It is currently set up to allow for basic human/computer communication. The technology will be taken one step further. Once the computer, which at this point will be connected to the headset wirelessly, receives the data from the viewer’s mind, it will then send the results to a third party. This third party will interpret the data for each exhibit’s unique function.
The Exhibition.
The artistic potential for the emotiv EPOC will be realized in an exhibit, which features two rooms: the Paint Room and the Aquarium Room. The Paint Room will consist of four blank white walls. Paint will be dropped in rivulets from the tops of the walls and the viewer, now wearing the emotiv EPOC, will mentally control the trajectory of the paint as it slips down the wall. Up to four viewers can participate in this interactive experience at a time. The Aquarium Room will contain a very large fish tank holding four tropical fish. The viewer, wearing the emotiv EPOC neuroheadset, can control the currents in the water and watch the fish swim in the changing tides. The original signal will be sent from the viewer’s mind to a computer and the secondary signal will be sent from the computer to the controls of the currents (see ‘the Expansion’.)
The Exhibition Space.
The Paint and Aquarium Rooms will be simple, white-walled spaces that focus on the technology. There will be no distracting projections or art works. The paint dripping down the walls in the Paint Room will be black and shades of gray, creating a monochromatic image when complete. The paint will be cleaned each night for the next day’s exhibit. The tank in the Aquarium Room will be fifteen by ten feet, a large installation, containing four large sea bass. The viewer wearing the neuroheadset will be able to circulate the exhibit room, controlling the currents.
Related Exhibitions.
- Jackson Pollock, an American abstract expressionist painter, worked with liquid paint on upright surfaces. Time magazine dubbed him “Jack the Dripper” for his unique style of painting. The dripping aesthetic of his work inspired the Paint Room exhibition in the EPOC exhibition.
For more information, see http://www.jacksonpollock.com/
- Melody Owen, an Oregon-based contemporary artist, presented
an exhibition in February of 2010 in which she encouraged animal human interaction, specifically involving whales. Her exhibit, titled “So Close to the Glass and Shivering”, is a large installation which acts as “quiet ruminations on whales and exploration”.
For more information, see http://www.marylhurst.edu/aboutmarylhur ... 100203.php
--> FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THE PROJECT: powerpoint presentation to be shared 12/9/2010.
