Comments on: Mind-powered animal ears

By: Philboyd Studge

Philboyd Studge — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:06:00 +0000

A typical case, whom we shall refer to as Mr A, although his real name is this:
ARTHUR JACKSON
32A MILTON AVENUE,
HOUNSLOW, MIDDLESEX

By: ocker3

ocker3 — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 05:22:00 +0000

I disagree, it certainly kept my attention

By: ocker3

ocker3 — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 05:21:00 +0000

I would think a set of ears with a manual control in the palm would be more useful for cosplay as you could match the movement to what activity you’re doing, rather than what you’re thinking

By: TigR

TigR — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 02:39:00 +0000

I want one. The electronic thingy is good too.

By: big ryan

big ryan — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:37:00 +0000

the most obvious benefit to these is that let everyone around you know that you are BATS*IT CRAZY and that they are better off not talking to you

By: Matthew Petty

Matthew Petty — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:25:00 +0000

A little control box down the sleeve, with a couple of buttons. Ears back – fear, ears up – surprise, ears waggle – excitement. Get to it!

By: technogeekagain

technogeekagain — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:51:00 +0000

The fact that the vids spend lots of footage on everything BUT the ears in real operation tells me everything I need to know, I think.

By: Sparrow

Sparrow — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:50:00 +0000

I tried them. On me, they calibrate for a few seconds and then stop dead. Kind of like anthropomorphic mood rings.

By: howaboutthisdangit

howaboutthisdangit — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:09:00 +0000

I’d take that idea in an E.T. direction, with a pair of stalk-mounted eyes which could turn and stare at the offending oaf. I’d pay extra if it included moving eyebrows.

By: smut clyde

smut clyde — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 09:37:00 +0000

Come to think of it, Brian Aldiss was on the case 50 years ago:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Primal_Urge

By: smut clyde

smut clyde — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 07:20:00 +0000

For example, they perk up when you see somebody cute, they droop down when you feel relaxed

Do we not already have enough social taboos against exposing body parts that do that?

By: GyroMagician

GyroMagician — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 07:08:00 +0000

I’m just getting used to robots that look a bit odd because they’re too human, but these kids are racing at the valley from the other side. That’s weirdly pleasing and disturbing at the same time. The question is becoming who crosses the valley first?

By: spacedmonkey

spacedmonkey — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 05:20:00 +0000

Just the latest iteration of the uncanny valley as a fashion statement.

By: GlyphGryph

GlyphGryph — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 03:14:00 +0000

This is because you can’t actually read someone’s emotions the way this pretends too – just relaxed/non-relaxed, I believe.

By: bobgreymod

bobgreymod — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 02:59:00 +0000

Oh get the fuck over it.

http://xkcd.com/471/

By: Ernest Valdemar

Ernest Valdemar — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 02:50:00 +0000

Wouldn’t it make more biological sense (and be easier to build and program) ears that respond to sudden, directional changes in the ambient noise level? I don’t want ears that broadcast my brainwaves, I want ears that alert everyone to the loud douchebag approaching me from behind and to the left.

By: Philboyd Studge

Philboyd Studge — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 02:39:00 +0000

Margaret McPoyle as The Tick

By: trackofalljades

trackofalljades — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 02:23:00 +0000

You won’t see that video, because everyone who’s already seen these in person in a convention vendor room knows that they don’t actually work as well as that advertising copy (er, I mean post above) says they do. They just sort of randomly do stuff based on how much you tense up or relax…and in between they twitch a lot because I guess it would take an awful lot of computer complexity and wattage to keep them smoothly transitioning between modes.

By: Spitty Sumo

Spitty Sumo — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 02:16:00 +0000

eww, furries. :(

also:
http://boingboing.net/2011/05/05/brainwave-powered-ca.html

By: ridernyc

ridernyc — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 02:04:00 +0000

These have been around for years now. I’ve been hearing these are next big thing for about 3-4 years at least.

By: That_Anonymous_Coward

That_Anonymous_Coward — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:27:00 +0000

Protip – Interpretative dance, not a good sales technique.

By: Daemonworks

Daemonworks — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:19:00 +0000

The Nekomimi ones have been around for years now – and that company’s just released a tail too.
Video of both: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMbSiNJk8rg

By: Ethical Cannibal

Ethical Cannibal — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:19:00 +0000

I saw a pair on a con goer at the last GirlGeekCon. They looked cool, and she was swamped because everyone wanted to see them.

By: Chris Wass

Chris Wass — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:16:00 +0000

There’s a video of the Necomimi ears from ThinkGeek that shows them “in action”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_l1oRvKQL0&feature=player_embedded

By: vitamindevo

vitamindevo — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:11:00 +0000

If any of you read the kickstarter, and watch the video you’ll see the relationship to necomimi and neurosky, the people who manufacture the headset. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/emoki/emoki-animal-ears-you-control-with-your-mind

By: Nadreck

Nadreck — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:10:00 +0000

Eventually these will become obligatory office wear so that your boss can see that you’re literally bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

By: tudza

tudza — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:04:00 +0000

I don’t understand why there aren’t cheaper versions of these that simply use some sort of trigger to activate them.

By: Hanglyman

Hanglyman — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:02:00 +0000

As people on the MAKE site have pointed out, somebody else already makes these. I saw the Necomimi ears at an anime convention recently… unfortunately, much like the video here, nobody actually bothered to wear a display model to show them in action. I’m intrigued by the idea, but I get the feeling they may not be as expressive as people claim.

By: theophrastvs

theophrastvs — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:54:00 +0000

?…where’s the bit where the unnecessarily gesticulative hand-model places the fiendish device on her lovely head and waggles those ears by thinking deep sensual thoughts?? whatta-gyp! i demand my money back.