In a very Doctor Who-vian turn of events, the BBC is testing out TV remotes that you can control with your mind.

Let me repeat that last bit: control with your mind. The crazy bit? The project, currently nicknamed "Mind Control TV," is actually working (in basic capacity on iPlayer, that is, but that's neither here nor there).

The BBC's clicker doesn't exactly click; rather, the remote control is in the form of a headset that rests on the left side of the user's cranium and uses brainwaves to change the channel. These brainwaves are detected by sensors located on the forehead and earlobe.

Using iPlayer, five show selections are presented on a screen in front of the user to parse. Once a show has been decided upon, the newly-minted television telepath focuses on the show selection that they want to watch; the sensors then measure the amount of brain activity generated from concentrating on the desired show, assessed by a bar that appears onscreen. Once the bar is filled, the show is officially chosen for viewing pleasure.

What makes this venture somewhat unusual is that a television network, not a tech firm or a lab, is testing the device. However, the BBC isn't going in on the mind control market alone: the hardware for its wearable tech is designed by This Place, a firm based in Shoreditch.

This type of technology could be used to help people with a broad range of disabilities who cannot use traditional TV remote controls very easily, the BBC says.

Here's to hoping that its next big project will be designing a real-life sonic screwdriver.

Photo: espensorvik | Flickr