Virtual reality headsets open a window into the mind

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Data from the motion sensors inside virtual reality (VR) headsets can be used to reconstruct proxy brainwave signals, revealing what users perceive while wearing the high-tech goggles.

The AI-based system that does this is called BraVeSpy, and its insights could open avenues in neuroscience research, gaming, and a host of other areas[1].

“This effectively turns an ordinary commercial, off-the-shelf VR headset into a low-cost brain-computer interface, without adding any specialized neural hardware,” says KAUST researcher Tao Ni, who led the international team with collaborators from the National University of Singapore, City University of Hong Kong, and Hon Hai Security Research Institute in Taiwan.

“But it also demonstrates that VR headsets need better security safeguards because the data could expose personal information without a user’s consent,” adds Ni.

VR headsets combine a head-mounted display with motion sensors that track the user’s movements. Crucially, the sensors can also detect subtle movements around the eyes, such as those caused by pupil dilation, that reveal where the user is focusing their attention. Previous research suggests that these eye responses are controlled by the same neural pathways that produce changes in the brain’s electrical activity, which can be measured using electroencephalography (EEG).

“The motion data and the brainwaves are two echoes of the same underlying process,” explains Ni.

Read the full story on KAUST Discovery.