MIND-CONTROLLED VIRTUAL REALITY SYSTEM

GadgTechWorld.blogspot.com

This awesome VR project combines the forces of three sophisticated gadgets to take mind-controlled virtual reality to the next level. Use your mind to move around with the Emotiv EPOC brain-interface, look around with the Oculus Rift 3D headset, and move your hands to interact with virtual objects holding the Razer Hydra gaming controller.

According to project creator Chris Zaharia, this kind of complex simulation could become equally useful in education, medicine, tourism or in the gaming industry. Zaharia has been following the virtual reality space as a hobby, he has built a virtual reality simulation in Skyrim, and he is also the founder of a startup called Zookal.

Zaharia says that the VR space is starting to show a lot of potential, and various technologies could be used together to enhance education and to demonstrate what cognitive control is able to achieve in a virtual environment.

Zaharia has created a few simulations to try out the integration, including some basic educational demos like city building, surgery, chemistry and also a first person shooter where the hand tracking feature operates a pistol, whilst the player can move around either with the brain-controlled EPOC or using the Hydra’s joystick.

The chemistry demo shows what reactions occurs when you mix different chemicals together, but probably the most impressive demo is the architecture one where you can grab and move buildings in a miniature city, then shrink yourself and experience the city as if you were actually there.

Watch the video below to see what is currently possible through mind and motion in a virtual reality environment and visit the project page at chriszaharia.com/virtual-reality-education.