I just picked up on a clever article on CNN’s Tech page regarding the Military wanting to learn how to read the mind. Very cute, CNN you’re like three years too late on this one. So this is a little story that would have Huxley and Orwell shrugging, “I told you so”. The upside, a better understanding of how people think in any given situation. The down side should be obvious, invasion of the only private space we really have, out thoughts.

Well, all this reading got me thinking, I seem to recall being at a burger sport in NYC, JG Mellons, the best burger in the city, when I noticed two young gents working themselves into a tizzy on their laptop a table over. Being an extrovert I retorted, “You guys must be in sales?” To which one gent replied, actually yes. My next comments was, “technology?” my bar friend went with it, “yea, of sorts”. Something clicked, I honed in on my hardworking acquaintances career, “Are you in the Video Game business?” His eye lit up and he said “Yea! How could you tell?” I smartly replied, I can read, minds. Unfortunately, this guy really could. It turned out he was an Executive visiting from Boston. His company, Emsense, a brain trust of MIT grads, had created a technology that provides “psychological brainwave measurement”. In a nutshell, they’ve hooked this brain cap unit up to the heads of hundreds of video gamers and consumers, shown them commercials and had them play games and what not. The whole while, they measure brain activity. Then, after they’ve record everything from their “subject”, they ask them what they were feeling at particular points during the commercial. Based on thousands of responses, they’ve built a brain map of psychological response to all sorts of things.

At the time when I met these gents, I was working with a client in the video game industry, heading the marketing department, so I jumped at the opportunity to get inside the minds of gamers. Oddly, enough, it turned out the company I worked for was a perfect for Emsense. A moment of Kismet had occurred.

Beyond gaming applications, Emsense is a powerful tool for Marketers and Advertisers to understand what the consumer experience is though any given commercial, or other promotional event. I am going to assume that they’ve already partnered with one agency or other; it’s just too tempting for an Ad Exec to pass up, would you?

Emsense is quite obviously amazing. They are going to help redefine and refine how Advertisers communicate with their audience. Making campaigns ever more effective, and consumers ever more vulnerable to impulsive decisions and advertiser suggestions. Taken to the next level, Emsense promotes their services for “Political” purposes. Imagine a marketing savvy politician who wants to ensure every message is perfect, every time. Using Emsense it is theoretically possibly. They’ve taken the time to map out what I positive response would be, all the political marketing team needs to do is to create a similar positive emotional response, successful political message achieved!

Does this bother anyone? Should this bother anyone? Here we are, back at the famous old questions, “just ‘cause we can, should we?”

I am technologist, a whole hearted lover of the digital world. I accept that with time, will come changes and innovations that will stretch our morals to the mightiest measure of right and wrong. I imagine that the rules of right and wrong will change, much like the rules of privacy have changed in response to the internet. Begrudgingly I accept innovations I otherwise think we ought not to have, knowing that resistance will only create a lack of understanding, resulting in the fear of the unknown. From what I know of Emsense, and those that have created it, it is not about right and wrong, it is a matter of science. It is, “now we can, so lets”.

All emotional arguments aside, Emsense is here to stay, and will become an ever popular standard in the video game and advertising world, as it should be. It is a solid technology, built by brilliant minds to fill a void. Well, I for one am ready for video games that truly engage me from start to finish. I will be glad to never see another crappy commercial, and welcome the idea that they can Advertisers can finally hit a home run every time. You just won’t ever catch me wearing that creepy brain cap!