A Skateboard That Navigates By Reading Your Mind

Skateboards has come a long way since their humble beginnings in the 1950's when they were nothing but handlebar-less scooters fitted with roller-skate wheels. Over the years, they have become more aerodynamic, been fitted with various kinds of wheels to make them faster and even, attached to electric batteries for more oomph. However, none of the improvements even compare to this latest creation that takes you to your destination - By reading your mind!

Aptly named Board of Imagination, the skateboard is the brainchild of Austin-based mobile app-making company, Chaotic Moon. The inventors began with a skateboard fitted with an 800-watt electric motor, powered by 36-volt battery. They then attached a Samsung Connect Tablet computer to the front of the longboard.

To take the hi-tech board for a spin, the rider first dons a wireless Emotive EPOC headset - the kind that reads brain signals and then, thinks about where he/she wants to head. These thoughts get transmitted to the Samsung Connect via a USB connector that is fitted into the electronic headset. The computer in turn, sends the signal to the underlying electric motor, and off goes the skateboard.

All the user has to do to ride the all-terrain board, is learn how to balance and make sure that his/her mind is focused on the destination - For if the thoughts start to wander, the skateboard will come to a screeching halt! To control the speed of the board, which can travel up to 30mph or stop, the rider simply has to think it and the board will obey the command, almost instantly.

While the 'Board of Imagination' may take some getting used to, the inventors say it actually gets real easy after some practice - That's because the headset gets trained on how the rider thinks and helps create a custom profile that can be loaded on the tablet. Since no two brains think exactly the same way, it does mean that the board is not ideal for sharing with buddies but, given how cool it is, we doubt that thought even crosses anyone's mind.

The only thing that is a little annoying is that Chaotic Moon is not in the business of making skateboards and therefore, has no plans to bring this to market. They will however release the exact details of how they went about it, so that people can assemble their own 'Board of Imagination' - So if you are feeling a little enterprising, be sure to keep your eyes out for the details.

Resources: Gizmag.com, dailymail.co.uk