The future of Samsung tablets is looking more high-tech every single day. Engineers at University of Texas and Samsung are working together to create brainwave-controlled tablets.
In a post on Friday, the team at MIT Technology Review revealed that the South Korean tech giant is working on electroencephalograph caps that would allow users to control smartphones and tablets without ever needing to touch them.
Researchers admit that the technology is still years away from becoming a reality, but they are hopeful thanks to recent advances.
At this time, researchers are focusing on how they can take thoughts and turn those thoughts into actions. Right now the main goal is the ability to launch an application, select specific content, and power a device on and off. Researchers are relying on EEG readings, which look for specific brain patterns to determine what the user is attempting to accomplish.
Brainwaves are being used by the company Neurosky to power toys and games. Neurosky uses simple commands which do not yet match the capabilities being sought by Samsung.
According to Samsung’s lead researcher Insoo Kim:
“Several years ago a small keypad was the only input modality to control the phone, but nowadays the user can use voice, touch, gesture, and eye movement to control and interact with mobile devices. Adding more input modalities will provide us with more convenient and richer ways of interacting with mobile devices.”
The real question is whether or not consumers will embrace a truly handsfree experience that reads their brainwaves. The tech would most likely be used to help assist individuals who do not have the ability to use their hands.
