Japan Plans to Market Mind-control Consumer Devices by 2020

Japan plans to develop mind-reading consumer electronics that can be controlled by thought alone and hopes to market them by 2020, according to Nekkei Business Daily.

Brain-machine interface technology would analyze brain waves and brain blood-flow patterns detected through sensor-mounted headsets.

Initial ideas are for television to be operated with thought, mobile phones that compose and send text messages by thought, car navigation systems that searches for restaurants when the driver thinks he or she wants to eat, air-conditioners that adjust the temperature when people in the room feel too warm or cold, and robots that know when people need help with carrying heavy loads.

A device that detects brain activity patterns to communicate with a computer already exists -- it was showcased at the CeBIT trade fair in 2008 -- but this lofty concept is reminiscent of how innovators in the 1960s thought we'd all have flying cars by 2000.

Weigh in: Do you think Japan will accomplish this goal on schedule?