Google Glass-type device developed to read brain activity

A team of researchers are on the verge of developing a smart portable system by using Google Glass. The ‘smart’ eye-wear will integrate augmented reality with your own to give complete information about the surrounding. What makes this technology amazing is that it can enhance cognitive ergonomics, in simple terms the wearable glass will make it less mentally taxing to perform certain tasks.

A group of Drexel biomedical engineers in the US have developed the impossible, they have used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure a person’s brain activity finally. Not only it will have an impact on brain activity, but the prospects of fNIRS are endless.

The smart eye-wear helps to understand how students with disabilities can learn best, to train air traffic controllers and drone operators.

How was the Study conducted?

Till now researchers preferred to conduct all research of fNIRS indoors, where the participants could move freely in laboratory confines at the time they were under study. But researchers now have moved fNIRS system from the close indoors to into the wild.

Google Glass Can Now Read Your Mind With Biofeedback Sensor

They successfully conducted a study to measure the brain activity of the participants who were browsing through different college’s campus. The researchers formed two group, one using Google Glass and other using Google Map on a smartphone to compare the mental ability of the participant.

The goal of this study was to find out which task was less mentally taxing. The result showed that the group which used the Google glass had higher situation awareness than those using a smartphone. Furthermore, the smart eye-wear gave lower mental workload in comparison to those who used smartphones.

But one important point raised in the study was that group which used the hi-tech glass become less aware of their surrounding because all their attention was on the display of the glass.

When will it be available in the market

For now, that remains a question as researchers are still conducting studies to undergo the strength and weakness of the glasses. To have an understanding of the Google Glass, researchers have moved future experiments from the confine of the laboratory to the open world.

Also, the team behind the new development will have to find a solution for problems like cognitive tunneling while navigating experienced by Google Glass users.

The new finding was published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

About the author

Nitin Agarwal

Nitin started PC-Tablet because of his keen interest in space research, technology, and gadgets. He is an avid reader, technology enthusiast, and like to explore new places. His passion for knowledge keeps him running all the time.