Scientists' EEG cap gives rise to thought-controlled smart home

Scientists at Gazi University in Turkey have developed a way for the smart home to be controlled by one’s thoughts. Called the Brain Computer Interface (BCI), the system uses an EEG to pick up a specific pattern of brain activity generated by the wearer’s intent to do something. Over the course of the study, test subjects were able to control a phone, light, TV and heater by thought alone.

The way it works is for the user to think of a specific image, of a light bulb for example, and use the EEG to read the specific brainwave pattern (called a P300 signal) generated by that image. The EEG can then transmit this signal to a smart home hub and activate the virtual switch to carry out the specific task. According to the study, “flashing” the image five times was sufficient to activate the correct signal 95 percent of the time, and were able to program 49 commands.

While the system at present is focused on making the lives of the disabled much easier, it is also the potential first step in a mass-market thought-controlled home system. That of course would require significant miniaturization of the EEG cap; it’s hard to see how homeowners would want to wear one and the power source around the house all the time. Still, it’s the first big step into an entirely new electronics control system.