Brainwave Device for iPhone

Tired of taking a hand off your mountain bike grip to skip a song on your iPod? PLX Devices Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., has an answer in the form of a “brainwave interface device” made for the Apple iPad, iPhone, or iPod.

The $99 XWave device lets you “control your mind and the world around it” via a headphone-like product that senses faint electrical impulses transmitted through your skull. That’s according to a press release issued by the company today.

The XWave, said to be developed from technology used by doctors to treat epilepsy and seizures, can sense brainwave signals on the surface of your forehead, according to the company. It converts these analog signals into digital signals that can interface your mind with an iPad, iPhone, or iPod in your hand.

“The human brain is the most powerful, complex thing in the universe, and for the first time, we’re able to harness its amazing power and connect it to everyday technology,” said Paul Lowchareonkul, founder and CEO of PLX Devices Inc.

The XWave device comes bundled with an application where XWave users learn to control objects with their minds, including levitating a virtual ball on a handheld device’s screen.

The company announced today it will offer software developers the opportunity to design and develop apps for the brain-wave reader. Suggested applications from the company include ideas for entertainment, social networking, sports, and sleep functions.

In development now are apps that let you control the lights in your home or select the type of music through your iPod based on your mood — all with only your mind. Available in October for $99.99 at www.plxwave.com.

—Stephen Regenold