Visitors will have the chance to try out a brain-reading device from NextMind, which would be the first tool to allow devices to be controlled by thought alone. The lightweight and non-invasive device (it has no physical contact with the brain) captures signals as they cross the user’s visual cortex and can translate them in real time into digital commands. Machine learning algorithms are used to decode the signals, and development kits are expected to come out in early 2020.
The potential practical uses for this type of technology are impressive, from computers we can operate with our minds to restoring mobility to people with disabilities or injuries. If NextMind truly presents a way that is reliable and cheap enough to become a consumer technology, it could be a game changer.