Samsung’s Brainwave-Controlled TV Software Helps People With Physical Limitations To Enjoy Movies Easier

Three months ago, Samsung cooperated with EPFL in Switzerland to develop software to control smart TVs with brainwaves. That helps people with physical disabilities to control TV much more easily.

People with physical disabilities like quadriplegic ones always have a lot of difficulties in every daily activity. That’s why Samsung has done the research Project Pontis to make its TVs more accessible for them. With Project Pontis, they will be able to “change channels and adjust sound volume with their brains.”

At the Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco on 05 November, the firm introduced the second prototype TV.

To develop the brainwave-controlled TV software for the first prototype, Samsung has gathered the data and found out any behavior in our brains when we choose a TV channel or adjust the volume. And then, the indicators combined from brain scans and the environment will be applied to set up a model that enables users to choose their favorite channel via brainwaves and eye movements.

While gathering the brainwaves, users need to put on a headset with 64 sensors and seeing an eye tracker. The headset is connected to a computer and screen-mirrored to the TV. The database of videos will be gradually collected pursuant to users’ present choice to establish optimal lists in the future.

Additionally, the tech giant and EPFL are also researching into brain signals to support people unable to control eyes or other muscles.

Samsung is now the pioneer in the research into brainwave-controlled apps for those with disabilities; however, the firm is not one that wants to control devices with the brain. In 2017, Space X rolled out Neuralink to transmit thoughts via tiny electrodes in the brain.

In the beginning, Samsung wanted to apply the innovative tech into its smartphones but it replaced with smart TVs because TVs have bigger screens and are more available in every household.

As expected, Samsung has a plan to develop the second prototype in early 2019 and apply it first in Swiss hospitals.