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Download Ever wished you could ring up a friend just by winking, or turn off a light by yawning but without getting out of bed? Researchers at Nankai University in Tianjin say they have worked out a remote-control gadget that can send simple instructions to cell phones, lights and other modified devices by facial expression. The gadget, which includes a headphone-like brainwave scanner and a receiver that connects to a laptop, can read the user's mind. Software installed in the laptop then instructs a preselected cell phone to ring, said Duan Feng, associate professor in the university's automation department. Duan said such control is possible because when people move their muscles they generate a kind of surface signal, recording muscle activity. The signal alters as you change muscle groups, which can help distinguish the part of a muscle being used. Hao Chao, a graduate student in Duan's laboratory, demonstrated how the gadget works for China Daily, by putting on headphones with several antennas. His cell phone automatically started calling Duan without him touching it. Duan, 35, said, "This device is helpful for people who need remote control, such as the elderly, the disabled or those with difficulties speaking." The price is also affordable, he said, with the major cost being that of the brain scanner, which is about 2,000 yuan ($322). The method can be applied in other circumstances such as a computer game, which uses the brain scanner as a joystick. | 
