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Mattel's Mindflex Duel in the works, allows true test of wills
Disguised as a mere toy, the original Mindflex is actually a kind of limited telekinesis simulator in that it allows you to control the up and down movements of a ball suspended in air by, well, flexing your brain. With the release of the Mindflex Duel, you can now test your telekinetic prowess against that of your closest friends. That's right, Mattel's latest offering allows you to play what amounts to tug-of-war (with a tiny foam ball) using only the power of your mind. The Duel also lets people play cooperatively, but that doesn't sound like nearly as much fun as hooking this to a stim unit for a little friendly competition and some elevated stakes for the loser. We're not sure why, but the mind games won't start until August, though the device is currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $99.99.
Rat controls vehicle with its brain, Pinky and The Brain apply for 'one last run'
So, let's paint the picture, shall we? There's a rat, a bundle of electrodes, more wiring than an electrician would know what to do with and some sort of wheeled apparatus. In the background stands a team of crazed Japanese scientists, intent on never sleeping again until said rat controls said vehicle entirely with his mind. Nah, it's not a re-run of a WB classic -- it's real life, and it's happening now in a dark, shadowy corner at the University of Tokyo. The RatCar is a newly developed rat-vehicle experiment that researchers hope will open new doors for those with mobility issues; we've seen brain-machine interfaces change the lives of the disabled before, but giving them the ability to control their wheelchair with their mind (for instance) would be taking things to an entirely new level. As of now, the team still has to figure out how to accurately determine how much movement is coming from the rat's feet and how much is coming from its mind, but there's no question that the research shows promise -- just don't let the humanoids learn of our findings, okay folks?
Apples In Stereo man controls his Moog... with his mind! (and you can too)
We thought that our homemade Theremin was difficult to control, but this one is in a different league altogether! The, ahem, brainchild of Apples In Stereo's Robert Schneider, the Teletron takes a Mattel Mindflex game and uses it as a control voltage source for... well, any piece of musical equipment that has a CV input. In the video below, the musician / producer plugs it into a Moog analog synth and increases / decreases the pitch solely with his mind. At least the thing doesn't give you an electric shock when you hit the wrong note! But enough jabberjaw out of us -- see / hear it in action (and get some instructions, if you'd like to build your own) after the break.
Memory Shocker: keeping busy makes you too busy to remember things
The New York Times has picked up the scare-story baton again, this time citing two pieces of research that supposedly indicate we're spending too much time jacked into our electronic devices. The University of California, San Francisco, has come out with some data showing that the brain needs "downtime" to properly digest, learn, and memorize events. This is supported by the University of Michigan, which confirms that people remember much better after a walk through nature than after a walk through dense urban environments. Basically, crunching new data is preventing us from assimilating older, potentially more important, information. That's neatly (though somewhat dubiously) tied into electronics by reference to their ubiquitous presence and use in daily life. If you're constantly listening, watching, or checking something, you can't very well be packaging those precious memories of grandma's 85th birthday at the same time. Of course, the same could be said of a really good book you can't put down, but that doesn't make for a sexy headline, now does it?
Mattel's Mindflex: now stressing brain muscles for $80
It's taken nine whole months for this mental-stresser to go from CES show-stopper to household mainstay, but at long last, the only Mattel product we could ever recommend (with a straight face) to those with an age larger than 12 is finally shipping. In short, the Mindflex forces your brain -- as in, that hunk of meat between your ears -- to keep a ball suspended in the air, and if you're thinking Matrix, you're thinking correctly. Sort of. Hit the read link to get your own for $79.99, and make sure you do so before these things sell out and break the $1,000 mark on eBay. It's almost the holidays, don'tcha know?
'Mental' episode features video games ... of the mind
Pushing hard into the series' fourth episode, Fox's "Mental" will be airing its fourth episode this week, featuring "an 8-year-old bipolar boy whose life is consumed by a video game he plays in his head." Oh noes! According to the show's main character/handsome devil Chris Vance (aka Dr. Jack Gallagher), the child won't stop twitching his hands in an, erm, controllerly fashion and apparently tries killing himself due to "the game in his mind." Dr. Gallagher chooses to approach the child's problem from the most logical angle available and -- no joke -- starts playing the imaginary video game with him. Problem: Solved. To check out the episode in all its glory, tune in to Fox on June 16th. Or don't. It's really up to you, ya big chooser.[Via GamePolitics]
Mattel's Mindflex coming October 1st for $99.99
It's not often that a Mattel toy targets the 18 - 128 demographic, but we'll be frank -- the Mindflex has us all sorts of intrigued. Originally introduced at this year's CES, said game is a brain-powered fun-fest that relies on intense mental activity to control the height of a ball suspended in a column of air. Early on, we heard that it would land sometime during this year for $80, but it seems as if only one of those factoids will prove true. Indeed, Amazon has it listed to ship on October 1st, which gives proactive parents plenty of time to stock up for the holidays. Unfortunately, the price seems to have inched up by a Jackson, as it's currently up for pre-order at $99.99. Rest assured, however, that said price is far less than what you'll pay on eBay if you're empty-handed come December 20th.[Via I4U News]
CES 2009: Mattel's MindFlex gives you Jedi mind powers
The author burnt out several synapses levitating the ball for this photo. Mattel had a booth at CES pimping out things like U.B. Funkeys, a Barbie nail design automatic applicator contraption, and Mindflex, a game that claims to harness the untapped power of your brain's beta waves. These are waves that the brain generates when you're busy solving problems, concentrating, or trying to decipher what the sales chart trends on Joystiq are pointing toward.Mattel wants to channel said waves into a franchise of games under the Mindflex banner, the first of which offers a "float the ball with your brain" challenge. To play, you slap on a funky headband, attach little butterfly clips to your earlobes and then concentrate really hard. If you do it well enough ... the ball floats. Relax your brain or close your eyes, and it hovers down.%Gallery-42015%
Mental health clinic treats children for cellphone addiction
Not like we haven't seen individuals diagnosed with cellphone addiction before, but two kids in Spain were so badly obsessed with their mobiles that they weaseled money from relatives to buy more airtime, began to fail classes and eventually wound up in a mental health clinic. The kids, aged 12 and 13, were reportedly spending around six hours per day talking, texting or playing games, presumably making them the perfect candidates for Sprint's Simply Everything plan. All jesting aside, doctors in the institution suggest that it could take a full year to wean them off of the "drug," as they each have become practically incapable of living a "normal" life without constantly interfacing with their handsets. Ai caramba.[Image courtesy of PocketPicks]
Brain fitness software market is very fit
Say what you will about Nintendo, they know how to create new market segments. Case in point, the SmartBrains "State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008 report" which cites the Nintendo's Brain Age games as a key driver in growing the brain fitness software market to a $225 million industry, up 125% since 2005.Though Brain Age games dominate the $80 million consumer segment of the market, the game has also been a key inspiration to the 20 companies that create similar brain training tools for everything from sports teams to the military. The various brain training products have been used in over 400 elder care facilities and five successful randomized clinical trials. One product even gained FDA approval for use in stroke rehabilitation. We just hope those stroke patients don't have an accent.[Via BoingBoing]
Mind-controlled gaming lands on Popular Mechanic's shortlist
Who says motion control is next-generation? Not Popular Mechanics, who have decreed electroencephalography (EEG), or mind-controlled input, as one of the 10 tech concepts we need to know for 2008. The technology has already proven viable enough to control avatars through Second Life, according to Japanese researchers. Couple that with a light gun and we think you've got a rather immersive first-person shooter. Our prediction? Expect Nintendo to make some facsimile of the technology for a future console, and commenters to complain that the system is just "two Wiimotes duct taped to your head."