Scientists Use Quake 2 Engine to Study Brains
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: quake, 2, gaming, mice, brains | Themes: Digital Entertainment
How long before mice can bunny-hop?
Studying brain activity on a still subject is much easier than one that is moving. But scientists have come up with a way to study neurological activity of mice in motion thanks to the Quake 2 engine.
Researchers have devised an apparatus that holds the head of a mouse in place with a metal helmet, while the animal stands in a floating styrofoam ball held up by a stream of air. (Think of this as if it were a giant mouseball, if you will, literally.)
The mouse is then exposed to a "mini-IMAX" theatre screen projected in front of it. Powering the images on the screen is a modified version of the Quake 2 engine, which is now open source.
Mice were able to run on the styrofoam ball to provide input for the game engine, which would respond accordingly with the running motion from the animal.
Instead of picking up rocket launchers, armor and quad damage, mice were rewarded for their "gameplay" with sips of water from a head-side nozzle. Check out all the details on Wired along with the video encoded below.
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This is great!
Soon this method will be implemented for cube dwelling office workers.
Employees will don helmets displaying a virtualized office environment including their computers and co-workers. The system will analyze work performance and reward employees with coffee sent through a tube located on the side of the helmet.
Omg I love Quake3 engine (never used 2). It was used in RTCW and RTCW:ET so, I think it's similar to Q2 engine.
I've always imagined a system like that for VR game play. I thought the mouse would be running through some sort of maze, not in circles.
this is awesome! lol best article i've read here in a while. that'd be awesome if they had cheese pick-ups in place of weapons in the game lol. or if this mouse could go online and pwn some noobs.
Someone should tell the mouse to do /cg_noclip 1
That mouse is better than some of the noobs I've played online before.
LIKE OMGZ THIS IS SO CRUEL TO TEH POUR LIL MICE
THES POEPLE NEEED 2 BE SHOT!!11!
- Signed, P.E.T.A.
Oh, and this is ingenious.
That is SO COOL! Why is it that only the mice get a cool VR FPS simulator?
I WANT ONE!
They think this was stimulating to a mouse, had they only realized that had their test subject had nine other mice on the LAN, then they'd see some real brain activity.
The Lawnmoer man anyone?
Amazing!
However, I feel sorry for the lab mouse... it must be thinking "oh where the fuck am I!"
see gaming does do good things
Quake is addictive. Even scientists can't stop thinking about it while at work. what did the mouse do to deserve that inhu-mouse treatment? haven't they proven research cause cancer in mice? add insanity to that.
I'm part of P.E.T.A
P.E.T.A stands for people eating tasty animals.
Oh no...its bad enough we have illegal dog fighting rings all over the world, now we're going to have to worry about illegal Mice-Quake matches in covert LAN partys. :-)
Soon this method will be implemented for cube dwelling office workers.Employees will don helmets displaying a virtualized office environment including their computers and co-workers. The system will analyze work performance and reward employees with coffee sent through a tube located on the side of the helmet.
Dude! You better patent that idea!
Joking aside, some cool new tech.
the mouse needs monsters to run away from or atleast arm him with something like the BFG
Jestern that is a great idea. Train a mouse to kick your friends mices butts in quake2. That great.
Time to patent and start ladder setup.
I'm part of P.E.T.AP.E.T.A stands for people eating tasty animals.
Mmmmn...
Why are people so against horse meat too? It's awesome.
Oh no...its bad enough we have illegal dog fighting rings all over the world, now we're going to have to worry about illegal Mice-Quake matches in covert LAN partys. :-)
Sometimes, it's worth it to break the law.
Not that cool!
This mouse is just running in circles.
And how do they study the brain activity of the mouse? Do they need its head to be stuck in an helmet to maintain wires/probes plugged into its brain? A bit cruel in my opinion, even for a mouse.
Not that cool!This mouse is just running in circles.And how do they study the brain activity of the mouse? Do they need its head to be stuck in an helmet to maintain wires/probes plugged into its brain? A bit cruel in my opinion, even for a mouse.
You dont need probes stuck inside to measure brain waves...
Yet again, it has been demonstrated that a mouse is better than a gamepad for playing first-person shooters. :-D
Yet again, it has been demonstrated that a mouse is better than a gamepad for playing first-person shooters. :-D
Lame, but true
Good idea, bad implementation!
A simple, light, transparent sphere, with the mouse inside it 'running freely', the sphere held in place just the same, and the mouse surrounded by very high definition screens in x4, x6 or even x8 configuration, maybe even the curbed display, and the mouse would have freedom of head movement, and a more natural way to run in circles.
On second thought, I'm offering volounteer to test the setup I just explained. Just a bigger sphere on which to roll on, and cinema-like screens.
Oh, now I get it. They were using this setup, with the head firmly held in place and other mice stuff, so that it would not arouse jealousy among human peers.
Yet again, it has been demonstrated that a mouse is better than a gamepad for playing first-person shooters. :-D
Lame, but true
Not at all lame. In fact it is one of the best jokes in this comment session, even better than the mice lan party, or the Peta joke 'THES POEPLE NEEED 2 BE SHOT!!11!'. All three of them deserver the ROTFL status. I congratulate Tom's contributors for their ideas. You guys are the best!
They should have used CryEngine, and we would have found the answer to Toms question.
...but can he play crysis?
...but can he play crysis?
yeah, in circles.