Mouse meets Borg
TechWeek
February 9, 1998 - page 3

If you've ever been frustrated by the slowness or inconvenience of having to
type your input into a computer, Palo Alto-based BioControl Systems might
soon have the product for you: a hands-free mouse that detects tiny
electrical currents on skin caused by tiny muscle movements. The whole thing
seems great, if you don't mind wearing a couple of gizmos that look sort of
like eye patches and give you the appearance of something like a cross
between Captain Hook and a Borg.  

The device can be used for typical mouse-related tasks such as office work,
but it might also have broader applications in the virtual reality arena and
in helping handicapped people use computers. The two components that resemble
eye patches are worn over the forehead and on the arm. The forehead patch
moves the cursor, and the forearm patch translates arm movement into mouse
clicks.  

The company has also created a general biocontroller platform called BioMuse.
which can accept different types of biological inputs, such as
electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram data. Someday, the company's Web
site says, people might be able to control their computers directly through
"neural input". That will teach us to all be careful what we think. 

A company spokesperson says the mouse should be available next spring and
will cost about $250.

BioControl Systems, Inc.
2555 Park Blvd., Suite 12
Palo Alto, CA  94306
650/329-8494
http://www.biocontrol.com