See The Toys of Tomorrow … TODAY!!!
by Kristen Wright
Star Wars merchandise collectors, step aside. Geeks are flocking to some new toys this fall. NeuroSky recently partnered with Mattel and Uncle Milton Industries to introduce two toys that any hardcore sci-fi geek must add to his collection, or else face the wrath of Khan. These toys give you telekinesis. Seriously.
Both toys, the Mindflex and the Force Trainer, use EEG technology for recreational use. Basically, that’s the gadgetry scientists use to measure brain activity in patients and research, such as measuring the effects of a seizure. NeuroSky’s toys may be the first to convert those neurological measurements into kinetic energy. Here’s how it works: both toys feature a small ball – the Mindflex’s ball is the size of a ping pong ball while the Force Trainer’s is slightly smaller than a baseball—that can be levitated based on the activity it reads from the player’s headset. When the player concentrates more, the ball rises upward; when the player relaxes, the ball descends.That’s right.
Levitating objects with your mind: tele-freaking-kinesis. Or something close. The player’s concentration measurements are actually picked up by fans within each toy that create currents of air pushing upward—think Marilyn Monroe standing on the subway vent. In this case, “the iconic skirt being blown upward” is the ball. You’re not really levitating the ball, but rather creating a force underneath it. In the Force Trainer, which sells for around $130 US, the player must raise the ball through a narrow tube that is graded with different levels. With the encouraging words of Yoda, one can rise through the ranks of the Jedi and eventually
become a Jedi Master.
Mattel, the same company that produces Hot Wheels and Barbie, is releasing a different version, this time in game form. The Mindflex, which costs around $80US, is a miniature obstacle course that is more difficult than the Force Trainer.
Instead of simply lifting the ball upwards, the player navigates the ball through a series of hoops and tubes on a device the size of a dinner plate. To advance, the player must use a dial to adjust the exact direction of the ball.
Before you trade your Tron costume for one of these toys, I should warn you that their appeal is mainly as a novelty. I don’t own either of these (although I’ll accept donations from readers), but consider this: all you’re doing is lifting a ball through some hoops, at most. Then what? Play again? On the other hand, you’re LIFTING A BALL WITH YOUR MIND.
The design of the games are fairly basic, but the technology is not. Since the technology is there, think of what game-makers could do with a little more imagination. Perhaps live-action Wii games – WITH YOUR MIND.
The importance of these toys’ simultaneous release lies more in what they mean to us geeks. This is a dream come true for anyone who has longed to attend Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters or even Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Before, the closest we came to superpowers was super speed on roller coasters or near flight from skydiving. I’ll take telekinesis any day. If, in the future, we could use this technology in most household items, I’d never take my headset off for fear of never being able to reach the TV remote. These toys offer me something other merchandise hasn’t given me yet: living in the moment.
A plastic Harry Potter wand is just a stick at the end of the day, and a Batarang is just a piece of plastic that never even makes a dent in anything. These new toys give me an actual response when I play with them – or, at least, they would if I owned either one of them. Again, Rostrum Magazine is not above accepting donations for a worthwhile (if geeky) cause. While these toys may not hold the player’s attention for long, their existence is a milestone in the geek universe. Hopefully, the toys’ recreational aspects will advance to something more than the standards of ball-in-a-cup. Until then, may the Force be with you.
