Blog → Twitter → Like! → Brain?

"Cat Ears That Move in Response to Brain Waves"
"Headphones that play music matching your brain state"
At Dentsu Inc., there are people developing such slightly mysterious things.
In this corner, we'll hear from members of neurowear and Dentsu Inc. ScienceJam Inc. about communication using biological signals. For the first installment, we spoke with Kana Nakano from Dentsu Inc. Communication Design Center and Toshitaka Kamiya from Dentsu ScienceJam Inc. about the origins of this brainwave project.

 

We felt we should create something that doesn't rely on language.

──Why did you focus on brainwaves in the first place?

Nakano: We were pondering what next-generation communication might look like. Web communication evolved from websites to blogs, then blogs to Twitter, with words getting shorter and shorter. Recently, it's become just pressing the "Like" button on Facebook. If this trend continues, wouldn't it ultimately lead to communication without language? When we think of non-verbal communication, gestures and eye contact come to mind, but something transmitted directly from the brain seems the most interesting.

Kamiya: When you see game consoles controlled by gestures , you start wondering what comes next. That's when you realize it must be interfaces controlled by the brain itself. Also, one of our team members discovered that brainwave sensors were becoming affordable. Before, they were too expensive for prototyping, but as they got cheaper, all sorts of possibilities opened up.

──When was that?

Nakano: 2010 . Back then, we were developing an AR (augmented reality) app for smartphones called iButterfly. We received a lot of inquiries from overseas. That made multilingual support necessary. But multilingual support is tough, so I thought we should create something that doesn't rely on language in the first place. Also, I've always thought staring at screens feels unnatural. Like, isn't it kind of weird seeing everyone on their phones on the train? I figured if devices evolved further, we could create something where you use your phone just by living your life normally, without even looking at a screen. Ultimately, doing nothing might become the right state.

Kamiya: That's the ultimate laziness , huh? (laughs)

Nakano: That's true . But humanity evolved out of both laziness and curiosity. We didn't want to walk, but we wanted to see far away, so we invented the automobile. So, I thought about what we could do with brainwave sensors and came up with about 20 ideas. Actually, necomimi (cat ears) was the very first one I thought of.

 

When you see necomimi, you just want to try them on.

──Where did the idea for necomimi come from?

Nakano: The NeuroSky brainwave sensor we used for necomimi prototyping has a feature that displays concentration and relaxation levels as values from 0 to 100. When I thought about what "communication" could be with something "worn on the head" that measures "concentration" and "relaxation," cat ears just popped into my head. By the way, necomimi stands for NEuro COMmunIcation MachIne (laughs). I also had this gut feeling that brainwave-controlled cat ears would definitely make the news at least once.

──What other ideas were there?

Nakano: Initially , the cat ears had a tail attached, or features like Twitter connectivity, or built-in headphones. There was also a yoga-specific turban...

Kamiya: Doors that open when you concentrate .

Nakano: I still want to make that door that opens when you concentrate . Or maybe a brainstorming room that only lets relaxed people in? We also thought about competitive games where you disappear when focused and get spotted by enemies when your concentration lapses... lots of ideas. But we wanted to grab attention first and appeal overseas, so we settled on the cat ear shape. Then we went to Akihabara and bought about ten types of cosplay cat ears (laughs).

──Did you already own cat ears yourself?

Nakano: I didn't have them myself , but I do like otaku culture. Things with an otaku vibe spread faster online, and they're just fun to look at myself.

Kamiya: Honestly, I didn't get the appeal of necomimi until the prototype was made. But when Nakao-san wore it and we saw the ears actually move, everyone burst out laughing. That's when I knew it would work! I understood its humor and how it facilitates communication. The person wearing them seemed embarrassed that their emotions were being exposed (laugh).

Nakano: It was embarrassing, but it was a really new experience (laughs).

──Once you made the prototype, what was the next step?

Kamiya: We then considered how to present the prototype . We thought about releasing just necomimi, but decided creating a new brand would better convey the concept and open more possibilities. So we formed the Neurowear project team. We wanted to see how people would react to necomimi, which we found fascinating, so we decided to showcase it at events. We learned that a company was holding an event in Omotesando and secured a spot to display our prototype there.

Nakano: Once we decided to exhibit at the event , we timed it to launch the Neuroware website and create a concept video for necomimi.

Kamiya: At the event , our goal was to film visitors experiencing necomimi, get their permission, and then upload the videos to YouTube. It was all about generating buzz.

Nakano: The exhibition lasted about a week , but the buzz spread on Twitter, and soon lines started forming. WIRED UK saw it on Twitter and published an article, and Reuters came to cover it.

──So necomimi spread worldwide.

Kamiya: That's when I understood how to create buzz. Just a concept video leaves people wondering if it even exists. So, we posted actual footage of the exhibition and experience videos on the website. The idea that cat ears controlled by brainwaves really existed and could be experienced in Omotesando spread on Twitter. People who saw it wanted to experience it themselves, to verify it. Once they tried it, they took photos and tweeted about it.

Nakano: When you see necomimi , you just want to try them on. And once you do, you want to show them off. In that sense, they're material that spreads information easily. We had a longer concept video version that included other concepts besides necomimi, but the buzz spread so much just around necomimi alone that we never released the longer version.

 

Selected for TIME magazine's 2011 "50 Best Inventions of the Year"

──So that's how it progressed to commercialization.

Kamiya: Initially , we aimed to generate buzz based on the concept model, hoping companies might use it for R&D or campaigns. But when TV shows reached out and it appeared in Reuters news, the international response was huge, with many inquiries, so we considered commercialization.

──Were these inquiries about wanting to commercialize it?

Kamiya: We got dozens a day—some saying "We want to commercialize it," others thinking it was already on the market and asking "We want to buy it."

Nakano: In the beginning , we were getting like 100 inquiries a day. They were in English, and we were like, "What do we do?" (laughs).

Kamiya: We talked with various manufacturers about commercialization , but they were cautious because it involved biological signals. Amidst this, NeuroSky, which makes brainwave sensors, reached out to us, and they ended up manufacturing and selling necomimi.

Nakano: It was right around the time we were selected for TIME magazine's 2011 "50 Best Inventions of the Year," so public anticipation was really building.

──When did it actually go on sale?

Kamiya: We had a pre-release at the Nico Nico Chokaigi in April 2012 . It became a big topic there too—talent introduced it on their blogs, and lots of people wore necomimi. We sold about 3,000 units at the Nico Nico Chokaigi.

──How many have sold so far?

Kamiya: About 70,000 units now . Initially, we thought selling around 10,000 would be good.

──Which sells better, Japan or overseas?

Nakano: Right after the Nico Nico Chokaigi , domestic sales were stronger, but now overseas sales are higher.

(Continued in Part 2 )