Brain waves to power game

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Las Vegas: An elderly Chinese woman wearing a headset concentrates intensely on a small foam ball and it begins to rise slowly into the air.

It’s not magic, but rather the latest game from toy maker Mattel, which allows players to move a ball around an obstacle course by using just their powers of concentration. Focusing on the ball causes a fan in the base of the game called Mind Flex — to start up and lift the ball on a gentle stream of air. Break your concentration and the ball descends. Once a player has the ball in the air they need to try to weave it through hoops, towers and other obstacles. “It’s a mind-eye coordination game,” said Mattel’s Tim Sheridan. “As you relax you’ll find that the ball drops.” Mind Flex relies on EEG technology to measure brain wave activity through a headset equipped with sensors for the forehead and earlobes.

The game, which will be available in September, is being displayed by Mattel at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But Mattel is not the only toy maker tapping into the power of the mind.

In a report this week USA Today said game maker Uncle Milton plans to release a similar game this year. Called “Force Trainer” it is named after “The Force” powers of Yoda and Luke Skywalker in the popular Star Wars films.