June 24, 2007
Thought Activated Television
Scientists are refining technology which could allow viewers to change channels or switch the set on and off without lifting a finger, reports Daily Mail.
"Staff at the Japanese technology giant Hitachi have already succeeded in harnessing the power of thought to make a model train move and believe it is only a matter of time before the same technology can be applied to the TV remote.
The technique, known as optical topography, reads thoughts by measuring changes in blood flow to key areas of the brain.
The changes - detected by a sensor-covered cap which sends small amounts of infrared light through the brain - are passed to a small computer through optical fibres.
The computer decodes the signal, working out the person's intention. It then triggers the remote control - changing the channel or volume or switching it on or off, as desired. This week, Hitachi demonstrated the "brain-machine interface" in action, when a reporter made a model train move through the power of thought.
... The technology could one day replace remote controls and computer keyboards and perhaps help the disabled operate electric wheelchairs. It could also be used to help paralysed people communicate - even when they have lost control of all of their muscles."
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