Mindflex
Encyclopedia
Mindflex is a toy by Mattel
which uses brain wave
s to steer a ball through an obstacle course. The brain waves are captured with the enclosed EEG
headset, which allows the user to speed up or slow down a fan, thus lifting or lowering the blue styrofoam ball. The game was released in the fall of 2009 . There has been criticism by scientists whether the toy actually measures brain wave
s or just randomly moves the ball, exploiting the well-known illusion of control
. However, despite the Spiegel/Haynes experiments, supporters of the game believe that the headset does read EEGs (it uses the same chip as the MindSet from NeuroSky
and has been used in homebuilt EEG machines).. A more dubious hack was to use it to control an electric shock
device.
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
which uses brain wave
Brain wave
* Brain Wave, a science fiction novel by Poul Anderson* a neural oscillation* a layman term for the electric fields measured by Electroencephalography...
s to steer a ball through an obstacle course. The brain waves are captured with the enclosed EEG
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain...
headset, which allows the user to speed up or slow down a fan, thus lifting or lowering the blue styrofoam ball. The game was released in the fall of 2009 . There has been criticism by scientists whether the toy actually measures brain wave
Brain wave
* Brain Wave, a science fiction novel by Poul Anderson* a neural oscillation* a layman term for the electric fields measured by Electroencephalography...
s or just randomly moves the ball, exploiting the well-known illusion of control
Illusion of control
The illusion of control is the tendency for people to overestimate their ability to control events, for instance to feel that they control outcomes that they demonstrably have no influence over. The effect was named by psychologist Ellen Langer and has been replicated in many different contexts. It...
. However, despite the Spiegel/Haynes experiments, supporters of the game believe that the headset does read EEGs (it uses the same chip as the MindSet from NeuroSky
NeuroSky
NeuroSky, Inc. is a manufacturer of Brain-Computer Interface technologies for consumer product applications. It was founded in 2004 and is a Silicon Valley based company. The company claims that their mission is to make BCI technology available to any industry...
and has been used in homebuilt EEG machines).. A more dubious hack was to use it to control an electric shock
Electric shock
Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....
device.