BrainWave powered game - Serious

[Rusty Heap]

sounds pretty interesting. Brain wave activated "move a ball through some hoops" game via brain power. ...............serious. Who's going to buy one for christmas?

http://mindflexgames.com/

The Mindflex is more of a novelty than an actual toy, but for a first generation toy, it is quite interesting. The intent of the "game" is to control a ball through a series of obstacles set up by the player. The height of the ball is controlled by the headset, which measures Theta brain waves - 30-50 Hz electromagnetic waves associated with concentration. The more you concentrate, the stronger the Theta wave signal and the higher the ball is elevated by the console fan. When trying to control the ball, there is a noticable 2-3 second lag in response time. This is most likely due to the long sampling time required to measure such a low frequency signal.
The thing that makes this toy revolutionary is the "dry" EEG sensors in the headset. EEG/EKG sensors have been around for years, but they usually require some type of conducting gel (i.e. medical goo) to ensure good electrical contact with the skin. The sensors Matel use were developed by NeuroSky. These sensors are small metal devices which connect to the ear lobes (providing an electrical reference) and a single sensor at the forehead (the control signal). While the sensors may be revolutionary, they make the headset very uncomfortable to wear. Wearing the headset more than 5-10 minutes will result in a headache as the metal sensor digs into your forehead.
All-in-all, the Mindflex will provide a few hours of entertainment, and then finds its way to the back of your shelf. Even so, the $80 list price is worth it for those who want to get their hands on the lates in toy tech.