The creator of Internet Explorer wants to read your mind with a bracelet

Forget the voice commands of Amazon Echo or touch gestures; The idea of controlling a computer with your thoughts seems to be the best way to interact with machines. There is only one problem: for the technology to work as well as possible, it may be necessary to drill a hole in the head and insert a chip into the brain. This, as they say in the trade, is a scam.

However, a new company called CTRL-Labs in New York has a different idea. Founded by Thomas Reardon, the creator of Microsoft Internet Explorer, he describes himself as an "applied neuroscience research firm" with designs for deciphering his neural activity. But unlike many of your rivals in this area, you do not dare to close your skull to do it. And certainly, no drill or other cutting tools will vibrate.

In contrast, CTRL-Labs has developed an electronic wristband that enables non-invasive mental control of computers, smart prostheses, and a variety of other devices. This brain-computer interface is obtained by collecting the surges that result from the muscle fibers in the arm when they contract.


By analyzing these signals, light body movements can be transformed into computer inputs. Even better, as the following video shows, even the intention of the movement can be interpreted as a movement.

It is true that this is not a brain-computer interface, as you might think. However, the reason the team describes it is that it is the fastest way to turn conscious brain instructions into useful actions. In this case, technology becomes a natural extension of thought and movement. With the prototype of the CTRL Labs device, which looks a bit like a 90s wristband superhero designed by Rob Liefeld, users can achieve masterpieces such as writing 200 words per minute without having to touch a body keyboard

"We see his arm as a source of information from his brain to the world," said Adam Berenzweig, head of R & D at CTRL-Labs, Digital Trends. "We do not have many other options except to get information from our brains through muscle control.