Mind Reading Headsets

Emotiv, a futuristic company, sells wearable brain scanner headsets with sensors for £200.

15:44 11 December 2015

Emotiv, a futurisic company, is selling portable, wearable technology for the brain, designed to map the user's thoughts and feelings, noting the pleasure and pain responses in the brain.

 

The lightweight brain scanner headsets come with sensors positioned around the scalp and with price tag that starts from $300 (£200).

 

The sensors measure electrical signals from the brain, working the same way as an electroencephalogram (EEG) and transmits data wirelessly to a user's PC or mobile.

 

Emotiv founder Tan Le, who was inspired by Star Wars, said: “It’s the magic of being able to control objects. They wanted to do that with their minds. It set them off on an adventure.”

 

“There have been proof-of-concept applications allowing users to control wheelchairs with their minds. Reconfiguring wheelchairs to take inputs from our technology allows users to reclaim mobility. We’re trying to improve people’s understanding of their brains and improve their quality of life. 

 

“We recently worked on a proof-of-concept application for people suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease – or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – which in its advances stages sees people confined to bed and losing their ability to speak, making it hard for them to ask somebody to do something for them.”