The new app, called MindRDR, pairs Google Glass with a device that can detect brain waves.
MindRDR is free to download. To use it, a pair of Google Glass is needed, along with the brainwave detection device, called the Neurosky Mindwave Mobile EEG headset, which costs around $120. EEG stands for electroencephalography. It is the process of monitoring electrical activity in the scalp. The technology is commonly used for diagnosing epilepsy, sleep disorders, brain death, comas and encephalopathies.
The software, made by British start-up This Place, is not sanctioned by Google. In fact, the new app is considered a hack and is unlikely to appear in the official Glass app store. "Google Glass cannot read your mind," a company spokesperson said. "We have not reviewed, nor approved, the app so it won't be available in the Glass app store."
The Mindwave EEG headset detects which parts of brain are exhibiting a higher level of activity. To determine user commands, the head-mounted device detects when a person concentrates. Through this feature, a person can take a snapshot with Google Glass without even doing anything. On the Google Glass screen, there's a horizontal line that rises and falls depending on a user's level of concentration. To snap a photo, a person only needs to look at something and then concentrate until the horizontal line reaches the top of the screen. Once a photo has been taken, the file can also be uploaded to a pre-determined social network without any voice or gesture commands. To do so, a user would only need to repeat the process.
Currently, the MindRDR app can only be used to take pictures. However, in an interview with the LA Times, This Place head Dusan Hamlin said that he is looking to develop the software further to help people with locked-in syndrome. Patients with the condition lose all motor functions in spite of being aware of their surroundings. He also sees practical applications of the device for quadriplegic people.
