Mindflex is a toy by
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
by which a child 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 biosignals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in the neocortex ...
headset, which allows the child to control an air stream by concentrating, thus lifting or lowering a foam ball. 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 supe ...
.
[ (In German)] However, despite the Spiegel/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
*
Comparison of consumer brain-computer interface devices
*
Brain-Computer Interface
References
External links
* http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20151026-a-teens-mind-controlled-arm-could-make-prosthetics-cheaper
{{Mattel
Electroencephalography
Electronic toys
2010s toys
Mattel