Puzzlebox Orbit: Flying a Mind-Controlled Helicopter

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Published January 13, 2015

The same technology that makes the Necomimi cat ears move is now being used to pilot remote control helicopters. At CES 2013, Neurosky, the company behind the Mindwave Mobile, showed off some other products that work on brain power, such as the Puzzlebox Orbit, a small $189 helicopter that flies around when you concentrate hard enough.

Like the cat ears, a would-be pilot dons the Neurosky headpiece, which attaches to your earlobe and forehead. The headgear is then paired via Bluetooth with an Android tablet that has an infrared transmitter attached. The headpiece then sends your brainwaves to the Puzzlebox Android app, which interprets those signals, and sends them out as commands via the IR transmitter to the helicopter.

Sounds easy, right?

Since the Neurosky technology can only interpret whether your brain is active or relaxed, you can only turn the chopper on and off--there's no way to tell it to turn using just your mind. But, we wouldn't be surprised to see that functionality in the future. Then, our dream of commanding an armada of airborne toys fill finally be realized.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/puzzlebox-orbit-flying-a-mind-controlled-helicopter