14 DAY TRIAL // It's the second CeBIT edition for OCZ's Neural Impulse Actuator, the mind-controlled computer interface, and the company has just announced that the product is ready for manufacturing. The actuator enjoyed a pretty long incubation period, but it is now ready to roll out..
"Advances in hardware and software allow today's games to offer consumers an exceptional entertainment experience, and we wanted to take the next step by immersing gamers into these environments with the innovative new NIA," stated Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. "The NIA radically changes the ways that gamers can interact and control elements within games, and can be configured in a matter of minutes for any game that is already published or will be released."
The Neural Impulse Actuator is one of the first headsets of its kind and has been thoroughly demonstrated during this year's Consumer Electronics Show that took place in Las Vegas. The headset is world's first mind-reading helmet that relies not only on the emitted brainwaves, but also on muscle and eye movement.
The first public test has been performed by OCZ's VP of Technology Development, Dr. Michael Schuette. The actuator is the first commercially available BCI (brain-computer interface) and is especially designed with gaming in mind (pun intended). Upon release, the headset will be fully configurable through its bundled software, in order to get optimal results. The BCI requires some training before it is fully tuned in with the users' brain and muscle signals.
The device merely transforms the brain signals into keystrokes, and that is why it will flawlessly integrate with absolutely any software applications that communicate with the user via a keyboard. As soon as it has been configured and "trained", the gaming headset will let the user control the in-game character through the power of mind, but it won't be able to fully substitute the use of a conventional mouse.
It seems that the first units of the Neural Impulse Actuator will hit the shelves this week at a starting price of $300. Before buying it, you will be able to see it in action at the upcoming CeBIT event that starts tomorrow. Softpedia will be there, so stay tuned for further details regarding world's first mind-reading device.