Focus to Put a Ladybug on a Peg: Game Machine 'Nenjiro' Unveiled

Ekubo Inc. (Headquarters: Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, CEO: Miyu Shimizu) is officially releasing information to the general public regarding the game machine 'Nenjiro', which allows users to experience the relationship between thoughts and random numbers. Previously, this was only introduced and provided to members.

'Nenjiro' is a game where a ladybug slowly descends on the screen. The ladybug's descent route shifts slightly left and right due to random numbers, and the user experiences the outcome by 'focusing' or 'praying' (nenjiru) for the ladybug to land on the target peg.

This development project was inspired by pioneering research on the relationship between consciousness/intention and physical stochastic processes. Specifically, its background includes consciousness experiments using random number generators by Dr. Schmidt, research on the interaction between consciousness and random numbers by Princeton University PEAR, and experiments exploring the relationship between consciousness and quantum systems by Dr. Radin.

Amid growing social interest in AI, BCI (Brain-Computer Interface), consciousness research, and quantum information science, Ekubo Inc. is disclosing the background and details of this development project as an example of research and development regarding consciousness and random numbers, and the relationship between human intention and physical stochastic processes. Through this public release, the company aims to contribute to interdisciplinary discussions on the relationship between consciousness and physical phenomena.

The main unit of 'Nenjiro' (USB memory) that responds to thought images and thoughts.

■ What is Nenjiro?

'Nenjiro' was developed as part of the development of a 'thought sensor' that catches human thoughts. It is a device where you can experience the relationship between thoughts and random numbers in a game format.

On the game screen, a ladybug slowly descending from above and a peg set on the ground as its landing target are displayed. The ladybug's descent route shifts slightly left and right due to random numbers. Players participate in the game by directing their consciousness and 'focusing' so that the ladybug ultimately lands on the peg.

It has been confirmed that the 'concentration of consciousness' involved in focusing affects the score, and the more trials are repeated, the higher the player's score becomes.

Game screen of 'Nenjiro'

Unlike general games where characters are directly controlled by buttons or levers, the characteristic of 'Nenjiro' is that the player directs their intention toward movements that change according to random numbers.

The goal is not to control the ladybug's movement by force, but to visually and experientially grasp the relationship between the randomly changing process and human intention. Through the simple result of whether the ladybug lands on the peg or not, players can realistically grasp the relationship between thoughts and random numbers.

Ekubo Inc. developed 'Nenjiro' as a way for general users to easily understand and experience this research theme exploring the relationship between thoughts and physical stochastic processes.

■ Research Background of this Development Project

The development of 'Nenjiro' is inspired by the interdisciplinary research theme of whether human consciousness and intention can have some kind of influence on quantum stochastic processes.

In this field, multiple pioneering studies have been conducted so far. For example, Dr. Schmidt conducted experiments using a random number generator to verify whether human intention can affect random outputs. In addition, at Princeton University PEAR (Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research), long-term research on the interaction between consciousness and random number generators was advanced. Furthermore, Dr. Radin conducts research exploring whether consciousness and attention can be related to the behavior of quantum systems through double-slit experiments and the like.

While all of these studies belong to areas of debate in modern science, they have raised important questions when considering the relationship between human intention and physical stochastic processes. Namely, the question of whether consciousness is a phenomenon completed only within the brain, or whether it can have some relationship with external physical processes.

Inspired by such pioneering research, Ekubo Inc. is working on its own experiments using random number generators and the development of thought sensors to explore the relationship between consciousness and physical phenomena.

■ Basic Paper of this Development Project

As the basic paper for this development project, Ekubo Inc. co-authored and published the paper 'Possibility to Realize the Brain-Computer Interface from the Quantum Brain Model Based on Superluminal Particles' in 2011.

In this paper, unlike general BCIs that directly read brain waves or neural signals, human consciousness and intention can influence the output on a computer that operates on random numbers generated from quantum phenomena