What if your smart home gadgets reacted to your thoughts? Mind control sounds a bit like something out of a sci-fi movie, but one man thinks it could one day become a reality in the smart home industry.
Dean Aslam, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Michigan State University, has invented a system that would allow you to control your favorite devices with your mind, according to Business Insider. If it sounds a little too crazy to be true, take the inner workings of Aslam’s system into consideration.
The technology works like an electroencephalogram, or EEG, a device that, of course, records brain waves with sensors. The sensors are worn directly on the head to capture the electromagnetic waves of the brain. Then, the information is sent to a computer, which has its own sensors.
After the computer gets a hold of the data, it can tell other pre-programmed electronics to take action. This means that the waves of your brain could potentially be used to tell your smart TV to switch on – no remote control or smartphone app required. To control numerous items, however, the EEG-based system would also need to be advanced enough to recognize slight movements such as eye blinks.
Believe it or not, this type of technology isn’t new. It would look and feel a little ridiculous, however, to walk around with wires attached to your head for the sake of smart home control. Aslam’s goal is to create a more adoptable form of the technology that people won’t mind using or wearing on a regular basis.
Some of the many items that can already be controlled through EEG-type technology include drones, prosthetic limbs and virtual objects. It may seem a little fancy to use brain waves to turn on items like microwaves and alarm clocks, but why not tap into the potential?
