Microsoft Patents 'Mind Control' For Apps

Sensor-equipped headbands could leverage neurological data to allow users to open and operate apps with their thoughts, no gestures required. Hands-free, brain-controlled virtual environments are coming, as startups work to "hack" the human mind and use brain data to control prosthetic limbs, keyboards, and other machines. Now, a new patent from Microsoft (granted January 8th) highlights a device that would decode EEG readings to allow users to launch and operate certain apps using their minds. Download this presentation from the CB Insights Innovation Summit to see the technologies, business models and distribution innovations that you should watch for in the next 5 to 10 years. Users would "train" the device to recognize how their neuro signals respond when they focus on a certain object, and algorithms would learn from their brains' behavior.