Through a recent partnership, BBC and This Place created a remote control powered by brainwave output. The MindRDR TV is a prototype that demonstrates remotes of the future may allow users to change the TV channel by thoughts alone. (image via screen cap, BBC & This Place)
As technology companies race to create the next best gadget, BBC asked if the next line of devices could not only be hands-free, but controlled solely by the mind. The organization recently announced the results of its newest research project – a brain-to-communication remote control interface that changes the television channel based on brainwave output.
The new remote control was created through a partnership between BBC and This Place, a technology company based out of London. Called the MindRDR TV, the remote allows users to select which show they’d like to view by simply thinking about it. It used two Neurosky EEG sensors that monitor brain activity and output through BBC’s iPlayer platform. It also functioned with both standards TVs and mobile devices.
BBC volunteered 10 employees to execute a trial run of the new technology. While This Place claims users need only concentrate or meditate on the desired channel to change the station, some study participants found the interface easier to use than others. There is more work to be done before the control is a reliable replacement for chunky smart remotes (the motivator behind the mind-control innovation), but the study was successful in indicating what the future of channel surfing may entail.
The MindRDR TV may have a larger impact on the TV-watching community than catering to lazy consumers, too lethargic to press a standard remote control button. It could allow paraplegics to become more independent in their viewing habits, as they would be able to control what they watch, regardless of physical limitations.
Brain-to-communication technology is being incorporated into many new technologies for disables persons, including prosthetic limb movement. The MindRDR TV won’t make it to market without addition research and advancements, but it’s certainly something to look forward to.
Reminds me of those "brain controlled" toys. Unpredictable results abound.
C
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