Skateboard controlled by brainwaves that moves wherever you think it should
Baku, February 27 (AZERTAC). Thinking of getting somewhere in a hurry? A new gadget from mobile app studio Chaotic Moon Labs proves that the future of travel is only limited by the imagination.
A skateboard, aptly named the Board Of Imagination, takes commands directly from the rider`s brainwaves and transfers them to and 800-watt motor that propels the board forward.
Think of a destination, and how fast you would like to get there, and the Board Of Imagination will take off - hitting a top speed of around 30mph. If you think that`s too fast, it will slow down.
The secret is in special software in an onboard Samsung tablet with Windows 8 - and a natty headset that monitors and interprets brainwaves.
The general manager of Chaotic Moon Labs, who refers to himself simply as Whurley, shows that he has mastered the art of thinking his way from Point A to Point B.
So far, he`s the world`s leading pilot of the board, but it`s clear that there could be skaters thinking themselves all over the place in no time at all.
He likens the process to imagining yourself pulling yourself along with a rope. If you `see` the destination in your mind, and how fast you want to get there, the Board Of Imagination`s gadgetry will do the rest.
The whole concept started with the perhaps hastily named Board Of Awesomeness.
That gadget used a Samsung tablet and an adapted XBox Kinect to analyse hand movements and convert it into commands for the motor.
The new version uses a wireless Emotiv EPOC headset, a high-resolution neuro-signal acquisition and processing device.
In an interview with CNet, Whurley explained: ‘The headset sends the signals from the rider`s brain to [the tablet] via a USB connector that comes with the headset. From there, software on the board interfaces with the electric motor via a "phidget", which is basically a plug-and-play, low-cost USB sensing and control unit.’
Apart from being able to balance, the only other form of training is marrying your brainwaves to the computer software.
Whurley said: `the headset is trained to the rider - in this case me - so that after some practice with just a computer a profile of the way the rider "thinks" is made. That profile can then be loaded on the board. Since every brain is different, you can`t really have one profile to rule them all.`
The problem with the board is that users really do have to keep their minds on the job at hand. If you start thinking about lunch, or chores you might have to do when the ride ends, the ride might end a lott sooner and more abruptly than you`d plan.
Sounding like a man speaking from painful experience, Whurley said: `We quickly realised that we would have to find a way to handle distraction. While we did the best we can to compensate, it will always be an issue for most riders.
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