SCIENTISTS REVEAL THAT A MIND-CONTROLLED SMART PHONE WOULD BE A REALITY AS EARLY AS 2018

Typing a message to a loved one or searching the web could be as simple as a thought, thanks to new mind-control system currently in development.

Experts from CTRL-Labs believe they could have a watch-strap sized device to control your smartphone with your thoughts for release to early adopters by 2018.

The slim gadget could also make virtual reality more immersive, by eliminating the need for handheld controllers.

In an in-depth article for Wired, reporter Steven Levy explores the work being done by the New York based company. 

It might seem the stuff of science fiction, but CTRL-Labs counts engineers and neuroscientists from some of the world's top academic institutions, including Stanford, John Hopkins and Imperial College London, among its staff and advisers.

It was founded by three PHD graduates from Columbia University who wanted to develop Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) technology to its full potential.

Many other big tech names are exploring this next frontier in human-machine interaction.

Some, like Elon Musk, have proposed a physical chip implanted directly into the brain to allow this to happen, as well as to enhance our intelligence.

But CTRL-Labs has already built a non-invasive prototype device, in the form of a wearable armband, that lets its user control an on-screen keyboard, or even play games.

Company CEO and co-founder Thomas Reardon, who demonstrated the fabric band for Wired told the website: 'When I see these announcements about brain-scanning techniques and the obsession with the disembodied-head-in-a-jar approach to neuroscience, I just feel like they are missing the point of how all new scientific technologies get commercialised.