Mind Tech

Hollywood has a way of getting us excited about things that are not real. People flying, super-human strength, insane stunts that would almost always kill you if attempted in real life, mind reading, disappearing...wait, did I say mind reading was not real? Oops.

Okay, we're not talking abilities such as the likes of Magneto from X-Men, but that may not be too far into the future either. What I am talking about is being able to control robots and other such things with one's mind. It has been proven to be possible, though primitive in control. Believe it or not, Honda is behind this major innovation with help from a tech company called Shimadzu and a research firm called ATR.

So can I control my civic with my head now? No.

If you know a thing or two about Honda, you would be aware of their advances in robotic technology when mimicking human behavior or actions through their robot ASIMO. Their new method of mind control involves giving instructions to ASIMO with one's thoughts alone.[This image hopelessly jacked from: http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/03/31/humans-can-now-control-robots-by-thoughts-alone-video/]
The user wears a helmet that checks (take a deep breath) electroencephalography or EEG that measures minute electrical activity near the scalp and also near-infrared spectroscopy or NIRS to measure blood flow. The measurements are compared with pre-sets for certain things such as arm movement or leg movement and are then relayed to ASIMO.

Even though this technology is in its primitive stages, it shows a world of possibility and gives Hollywood a run for its money at the same time.

I know what you're thinking!