The App That Can Read Your Mind

Wristbands are the latest craze in high-tech fitness hardware. Nike+ and Fitbit might ring a bell.

But could headbands be the next big thing?

The Canadian company InteraXon is going there with the introduction of Muse, a headband that links with your mobile device to read your mind. Sure, brain stuff can be scary. But don't worry. This one's here for your own good.

The device is the latest in the field of emerging mind-controlled games and devices. The high-tech sensor was developed by innovations giant PLX Devices using technology that has for years been used by doctors to treat epilepsy and seizures in patients. A state-of-the-art sensor within the device can then read the user”s brainwaves through the skull, converting them into digital signals before displaying them in various colors on the iPhone screen. And as the mind focuses on a particular task the graphics change, indicating the user”s level of concentration or relaxation.

Brain-training exercises include levitating an on-screen ball for a certain amount of time or changing a color by relaxing the brain in a bid to maximize the brain’s attention span. And designers say it won’t stop there. Incidentally, another app, called XWave Tunes allow users to connect with each other through the type of music that most stimulates their brainwaves.

However, PLX Devices founder and CEO Paul Lowchareonkul said it was a matter of time before such contraptions entered the mainstream. “The human brain is the most powerful, complex thing in the universe, and for the first time, we”re able to harness its amazing power and connect it to everyday technology. With the development of 3rd party apps, the potential for innovation is limitless”.

So clearly possibilities with this technology are endless, whether it is for relaxation, brain training, entertainment, games, social networking, sports or sleep. This is a really interesting development in technology with other aspects worth keeping an eye on in the future.

September 25, 2013