Added: 07.04.2014 19:12 | 4 views | 0 comments

Could the controller of tomorrow read our minds and be able to adjust gameplay experiences when we get bored, sad, or excited? That future might not be too far away. Engineers at Stanford University today say they have uncovered the "next step in interactive gaming" through a controller that gauges the player's brain activity and adjusts gameplay experiences accordingly.

Stanford's prototype controller was created by Corey McCall, a doctoral candidate of electrical engineering professor Gregory Kovac. McCall modified a standard Xbox 360 controller by popping off the back panel and replacing it with a "3D printed plastic module" that features sensors that measure a player's heart rate and blood flow, as well as rate of breath and how deeply a person is breathing. A light-operated sensor can track a second heart rate measurement, while built-in accelerometers measure the rate at which you shake the controller.

At the same time, proprietary software gauges the intensity of a game--in this case the simple rhythm/racing game Audiosurf Overture. Using physiological data gathered using the controller, researchers can then assess a player's overall level of mental engagement with the game.

"You can see the expression of a person's autonomic nervous system in their heart rate and skin temperature and respiration rate, and by measuring those outputs, we can understand what's happening in the brain almost instantaneously," McCall said in a