Mindflex is a toy by
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
by which, according to its description, the operator uses their
brain waves to steer a ball through an obstacle course. Brain waves are registered by the enclosed
EEG
Electroencephalography (EEG)
is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain. The bio signals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in the neoc ...
headset, which allows the user to control an air stream by concentrating, thus lifting or lowering a foam ball that is that trapped in the airflow due to the
Coandă effect
The Coandă effect ( or ) is the tendency of a jet (fluid), fluid jet to stay attached to a surface of any form. ''Merriam-Webster'' describes it as "the tendency of a jet of fluid emerging from an orifice to follow an adjacent flat or curved s ...
. The game was released in the fall of 2009, and uses the same microchip as the MindSet from
NeuroSky and homebuilt EEG machines.
Controversy
Despite the science behind the technology developed by Mattel, outside scientists have questioned whether the toy actually measures brain waves or just randomly moves the ball, exploiting the well-known
illusion of control
The illusion of control is the tendency for people to overestimate their ability to control events. It was named by U.S. psychologist Ellen Langer and is thought to influence gambling behavior and belief in the paranormal. Along with illusory sup ...
.
[ (In German)] However, despite the
John-Dylan Haynes experiments, supporters of the game stand behind the research that went into the development of Mindflex, and believe that the headset does indeed read EEGs.
See also
*
Consumer brain–computer interfaces
*
Brain-Computer Interface
References
External links
* http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151026-a-teens-mind-controlled-arm-could-make-prosthetics-cheaper
Electroencephalography
Electronic toys
2010s toys
Mattel
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