From Sci Fi to Child's Play

I'm sure that when we were kids, we all watched Star Wars at some point and tried to use "the force" to move an object with our mind.  "If I focus enough on the cookie, maybe it'll come over here!"  But, we all know that unfortunately, mind control levitation powers are not the everyday occurrence.
Mattel has found a way to make all of our childhood levitation hopes and dreams come true!  The game MindFlex uses EEG technology that has been around in hospitals for decades.  The game includes a headset that fits tightly around your head and a clip for each earlobe.  These allow the game to read the activity of your brain and relays the information.  The goal of the game is to move the small blue ball around the obstacle course.  You move a fan located in the boardset around the game with a dial.  The power of the fan is controlled by your brain though.  The more you concentrate, the faster the fan moves, and the higher the ball goes!  Loose concentration or calm your brain, and the fan dies a little, decreasing the height of the ball.
I was definitely skeptical about the game when I first saw it.  "What? I can make that little ball move with just my brain, you're kidding me, right?"  I really wanted to know more information about it.  And it turns out the woman I was then employed by at a tutoring agency, uses it for cognitive therapy.  The game forces one to focus and control brainwaves in order to succeed.  It is great for therapy in children with ADD and ADHD because they must focus if they want to win.  When used in small amounts, this is a wonderful therapy!  This, coupled with a few other focusing games, shows improvement in one session! I was truly amazed.
Not only did I see this is the proffessional setting as therapy, I also saw it in my home.  My younger brother certainly had to have this when he heard about it.  I decided to try it out myself.  And, while it takes some practice to master, it is really a very neat toy.  Mattel mentions using it at parties or with a group of friends.  When, in actuality, that would all probably be too distracting to get the ball into the air!
This is an example of science fiction in engineering as well.  This mind control theory was first seen in science fiction and Hollywood.  Eventually an engineer decided they could actually do that! Over time, it became part of the adjacent possible and became a workable object.  Now, it is used in a child's toy.  We can all have mind control powers!  MindFlex has now been on the market for almost two years, and has enjoyed a great range of success.  I'm sure when we head home for Thanksgiving we'll certainly see commercials for it with Christmas quickly approaching.  For a child, and even some adults, mind control is extremely enticing, even if it is in the form of a small game.  I definitely encourage you to try MindFlex for yourself, it is a genuinely interesting experience.  You may see it work in a video, but the first time you actually get it in the air yourself, you'll be surprised and all the skepticism will go away.  Happy feasting over the Holiday to all!