Mattel's Mind Flex teaches kids fake telekinesis

Add one more contender to the list of mind control games vying for our attention this year alongside NeuroSky and Emotiv. Set to debut this week at CES, Mattel's Mind Flex requires players to concentrate really hard in order to power a fan that'll float a ball through the hoops. Sure, it's not nearly as complex as what the other two are proposing, but we could totally see ourselves wearing this headset all day while we work -- just to find out how much brain power we're really using. It's expected to hit US retail channels later this year for $80, and if we may be so candid, our only wish is that the headset was small enough to hide under a hat. You know, so we could fool our family members into thinking we had superpowers.

Via Gadget Review; Thanks, Christen]

[Sofunnytom @ Jan 5th 2009 11:28PM]

isn't that like the harry portter thing that came out so many years ago?

[Zavrion @ Jan 5th 2009 11:36PM]

Yes, but hopefully possible to play.

[sdkochman @ Jan 6th 2009 12:08AM]

I think that the two products are identical except for the front panel, headset, and color scheme.

[Keegan @ Jan 6th 2009 12:26AM]

I was going to say, I had this back in the day when i wanted to be a wizard. Now I hear telepaths are in, so I'm all over this.

[augustborn @ Jan 6th 2009 1:07PM]

I wonder if this could be used to study the effects of Alzheimers to detect, track / quantify Alzheimer's much earlier then possible today ?

[Sofunnytom @ Feb 22nd 2009 4:44PM]

The Harry Potter Levitating Challenge. Thats what it is.

[Horse @ Jan 5th 2009 11:33PM]

The two year olds are going to love this. Another electronic babysitter, though this might actually build some form of concentration...

[Jake Tobak @ Jan 5th 2009 11:38PM]

2 years old? More like 20 years old, I want one NOW!

[Mike Wren @ Jan 5th 2009 11:35PM]

I've had enough practical jokes for one evening. Goodnight Future Boy!

[Matt @ Jan 6th 2009 3:46PM]

"You mean you have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy!"

[kagai @ Jan 5th 2009 11:40PM]

Don't worry, Engadget, some modder will shrink the headphones for your family gathering trickery!

[kagai @ Jan 5th 2009 11:42PM]

...and possibly amplify it to allow you to explode your hated uncle's head..

[tasnicaknight @ Jan 5th 2009 11:52PM]

Sounds like someone has some suppressed memories.

[porath @ Jan 5th 2009 11:44PM]

aren't we talking about telekinesis?

[Flashpoint @ Jan 5th 2009 11:48PM]

Its amazing when people use words and have no idea what they actually mean.

[Sam @ Jan 6th 2009 12:14AM]

...my thoughts exactly.

[Darthus @ Jan 6th 2009 2:59AM]

Right, Telepathy is communication with the mind, speaking to others with your mind, reading people's thoughts etc. Telekinesis is moving things around with your mind.

Hasn't anyone played D&D?

[Trackmaster @ Jan 6th 2009 12:08AM]

yeah it even has the same parts as the Harry Potter toy. it looks like they just took unused parts and panted them green and white. lame.....

[jakobe @ Jan 16th 2009 12:34PM]

yeah but that Harry Potter thing used a lever to control the fan..not your MIND

[meks @ Jan 6th 2009 12:25AM]

I had this toy when I was a kid (I'm 30 now)... except it was a moonscape and the ball was a little satellite/spaceship thing. Thanks for bringing back memories Mattel!

[brie @ Jan 6th 2009 1:00AM]

If only I had any brain cells left, seems like fun =(

[HermosaBeach @ Jan 6th 2009 6:29AM]

A shame that they dont relize that an 80 pp will not sell in this economy. I'd rather have Two new Xbox games then an $80 levitating challenge. Appears to be a chiller just like Hyper Scan... that video game console they dev a few years back.

[Jon @ Jan 6th 2009 3:20PM]

I wouldn't underestimate the impact of this biofeedback training device and the popularization of mind-machine interfaces .

[Jeremy @ Jan 8th 2009 9:45AM]

I am going to say:
OH!!!!!
That is the most amazing thing in 2009
It is a large step in human technology
But, i have a few quections:
Is it will affect the mind of child?
Will the toy really suitable for children?
When will issue in Hong Kong, mainland, Australia?

[Barrett Adslaw @ Jan 9th 2009 9:51AM]

I've heard there is a Star Wars version coming out at the same time, this one looks a little "Play School" to me...

[Krazy_Calvin @ Jan 9th 2009 11:46PM]

This is crazy... my grandpa got something like this for me in the eighties or early nineties. It was a gray thing that had a space theme and the ball was a little alien ship you had to fly through the hoops. That little dial on the front was what you used to make the thing go around in a circle and it had another dial that made the ball go up and down. It all sounds really fun on paper but because of the fact its its low powered fan that makes the ball float if you hit anything it just falls right down.

[Kevin K @ Jan 8th 2009 8:48PM]

(linkback) Thrive or Fail? Mattel's Mind Flex teaches kids fake telekinesis- how will it do? [VOTE] - http://www.thriveorfail.com/df9f6

[ErPeng Zhang @ Jan 16th 2009 5:22AM]

I am from china.listen to the news and be interested in it.
I want to know that when I will see it in chinese market
It will be perfect