Those lucky enough to own a Nintendo Wii, with its cutting edge motion-sensing control, must be feeling pretty future-proof. But NeuroSky thinks using your hands to play games is so last century: The future lies in brain-wave-reading technology that may change the way we play. The company's prototype device, a Darth Vadar costume with a brain-wave controlled light saber, uses the technology to light up the saber. The player concentrates, then the sensor reads the brain's electrical signals and sends them to a wireless receiver inside the saber. Just concentrate on keeping the light saber lighted (or focus on any object) and you're the envy of the Empire. The technology ranks your performance in each category on a scale of 1 to 100, and the numbers change as you think about different images, relax, or become distracted. If your mind wanders, it's lights-out for your toy weapon.

Engineers at NeuroSky see this as just the beginning for a technology that could revolutionize the way we play videogames. Imagine having to remain calm in a Call of Duty game to keep the sniper scope steady. Or perhaps an extra bit of focus will mean the difference between a strike and a spare in Wii Bowling.

Other companies have been looking into brain-wave reading technology for both recreational and therapeutic purposes (see our post on Emotiv at AppScout), but time will tell if this catches on as a viable device or just becomes another gimmicky toy. Still, the thought of having make-believe powers to turn my toys on and off stirs the inner geek in me. [Via Yahoo! News]

Post by Andre Bermudez