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Varjo and OpenBCI Collaborate on a Neurotech VR Headset

Varjo’s display headsets have long been the most technologically advanced. Through a collaboration with OpenBCI, they may soon become the most technologically capable in terms of data collection.

 

If you’re only interested in XR, you’ve probably heard of Varjo, but OpenBCI may be new to you. The firm creates brain-computer interfaces. It specialises in electrode caps, which are surprisingly affordable and widely available.

 

Electromyography or EMG, dealing with nervous muscle interactions is also used by OpenBCI. These electrical signals have recently entered the XR conversation, with companies like Meta investigating EMG for advanced user interfaces.

Based on an ARPost report, OpenBCI CEO and founder Conor Russomanno stated that the Galea face pad comes with various EMG sensors. He elaborated that these sensors have been used for virtual reality demo inputs by his team for quite some time. Speaking to ARPost, he expressed that the technology will be the go-to choice for active control use-cases perpetually. According to him, other sensors can be utilised to relay passive loops of feedback transcending one’s being and taking them to virtual realms.

The headset combines biosensing and spatial computing. It has been available on the OpenBCI website for some time. But there wasn’t much information – or any information – about it, just an application for early access to a beta programme with an unannounced launch date. We recently learned a lot more about the upcoming headset.

 

According to Varjo CTO and co-founder, Urho Konttori, Varjo is excited to collaborate with OpenBCI to provide researchers and practitioners with access to the highest level of VR technology innovations in order to spearhead new knowledge of the mind and body of individuals. Galea users will be able to access highly immersive virtual reality experiences available thanks to this integration, he added.

Russomanno also stated that he sees the future of personal computers as a mixture of neurotechnology and mixed reality. He said that his team has been following the convergence of neuroscience, BCI, and consumer technology with bated breath in recent years. Russomanno also said that they have been following the convergence of neuroscience, BCI, and consumer technology with bated breath in recent years. He is excited about what the company’s beta testers come up with by using the Galea.

There has been news before regarding the development. The HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition was announced by the brand several years back. It is now the top headset preference for collecting data points.

The Omnicept is not able to track muscle or brain activity. However, it has  but it does track heart rate. By combining these states with facial and gaze tracking, it intends to evaluate things like cognitive demand. Due to its more capable sensor array, the Galea, on the other hand, would be able to avoid many of these calculations.

 

The Varjo Aero is priced at $1,990, which is comparatively more than the Omnicept at $1,250. All details are not yet out regarding the pricing but users might have to fork out about 25 thousand dollars for the suite.

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