Will Thought Controlled Cameras be the Future?
By Raphael Chieza
Thought control was always something that a Sci-Fi geek like me was interested in when I was not dreaming of Space while reading Arthur C. Clarke novels. However, Year 2010 promises to give us some concrete realities in its application. Toronto tech company InteraXon which focuses on though controlled computing has brought fiction to reality. During the Vancouver Winter Olympics, visitors to the Ontario Pavilion will be able to control live lightshows using only their thoughts. To build up the hype, the light shows would actually be at exciting locations such as Toronto's CN Tower, Parliament buildings in Ottawa and even Niagara Falls. Now if they can do that, surely operating the shutter of a camera in the palm of your hands should be a piece of cake.
Technology is definitely moving away from buttons and dials with stronger emphasis on more flexible touch technology. We've seen it go mainstream on compacts cameras such as the Sony T-series and also on mobile phones and of course the recently announced tablets computers such as the Apple iPad. A touch-screen DSLR is just a matter of time but the idea of a thought controlled
shutter is definitely not far behind as it does offer some very real advantages. First of all, you've eradicated all camera shakes from the action of pressing the shutter and furthermore, your response should be faster. Instead of sending signals from your brain to your finger (and then the camera), you can go direct. What's more, you won't have to bother with timer settings or remote shutters for a group portrait either. Just get in the frame, get everyone smiling and snap with a thought! For compacts, you may end up with a virtually buttonless camera, zoom in or out with a touch and snap the moment you see what you like with a thought. The future awaitsˇ Beam my gear down, Scottie!
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Hi - I'm from the InteraXon team and really liked the article! I think the possibilities are endless and we're really excited to demo our thought-controlled computing project to open people's minds up to its fullest potential.
If any of your readers have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Trevor Coleman (the COO) via our website: www.interaxon.ca.
See you at the Games!
oniaonia From CANADA
06 Feb 2010, 1:24am
Awesomeee!!! Is it really true? Now I'm imagining the thought controlled not only with camera but all tools? Turn on and off your lamps, aircond, microwave, car engine, switch channel on tv? Is there really any tool that could bridge our mind to materials matter without body's action? What invention u call it?
*still in an amazed face O_O
gtvone From UNITED KINGDOM
05 Feb 2010, 8:17pm
Does anyone remember the "amazing" Canon EOS 50E - Eye control... That worked SO well... :-)
Thought control was always something that a Sci-Fi geek like me was interested in when I was not dreaming of Space while reading Arthur C. Clarke novels. However, Year 2010 promises to give us some concrete realities in its application. Toronto tech company InteraXon which focuses on though controlled computing has brought fiction to reality. During the Vancouver Winter Olympics, visitors to the Ontario Pavilion will be able to control live lightshows using only their thoughts. To build up the hype, the light shows would actually be at exciting locations such as Toronto's CN Tower, Parliament buildings in Ottawa and even Niagara Falls. Now if they can do that, surely operating the shutter of a camera in the palm of your hands should be a piece of cake. 
shutter is definitely not far behind as it does offer some very real advantages. First of all, you've eradicated all camera shakes from the action of pressing the shutter and furthermore, your response should be faster. Instead of sending signals from your brain to your finger (and then the camera), you can go direct. What's more, you won't have to bother with timer settings or remote shutters for a group portrait either. Just get in the frame, get everyone smiling and snap with a thought! For compacts, you may end up with a virtually buttonless camera, zoom in or out with a touch and snap the moment you see what you like with a thought. The future awaitsˇ Beam my gear down, Scottie!
