Emotiv signs up IBM to exploit brain-computer interface

LONDON — Emotiv Systems Inc. (San Francisco, Calif.) has announced a deal with IBM Corp. to work on the use of Emotiv's brain-computer interfaces based on electroencephalography (EEG) technology in enterprise business markets and virtual worlds.

IBM and Emotiv plan to explore how to make these environments more personal, intuitive, immersive and lifelike. Emotiv said IBM also intends to explore how the Emotiv headset may be used for researching other possible applications of Emotiv's brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, including virtual training and learning, collaboration, development, design and sophisticated simulation platforms for industries such as enterprise and government.

"The use of BCI technology represents a potential breakthrough in human-machine interfaces, changing the realm of possibilities not only for games, but in the way that humans and computers interact. As interactions in virtual environments become more complex, mice and keyboards alone may soon be inadequate. BCI is an important component of the 3D Internet and the future of virtual communication," said Paul Ledak, vice president of IBM digital convergence, in a statement issued by Emotiv.