Puzzlebox has been showing off their newest creation, the Orbit ($199), at this week’s 2013 CES. It’s a brainwave controlled helicopter powered by NeuroSky’s BCI (Brain-Computer Interface), the MindWave. Although the flight is simplistic and limited, it is an exciting example of the computer-aided telekinetic technology that may one day allow us to surf the web, operate a forklift, and power prosthetics all with a simple thought.

The Orbit is basically an RC helicopter in a protective plastic sphere. It comes with NeuroSky’s BCI, and a pyramid-shaped remote powered by the user’s level of concentration. As you focus your concentration, the Orbit rises, and when you relax your focus, the device will land. Your concentration levels are monitored with red and blue lights on the universal remote providing the user some biofeedback. The pyramid comes equipped with 12 infrared emitters with a 360 degree range that is capable of controlling any RC device.

Steve Castellotti, chief executive of Puzzlebox, has been publishing open source software and how-to guides for hacking RC helicopters with NeuroSky’s Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) for the past two years. Last November he made a finished product available to the public on Kickstarter, and enjoyed a great deal of holiday success. What makes Puzzlebox uniquely refreshing is that they are still freely releasing all source code, hardware schematics, and 3D models allowing other innovators to build their own and improve upon the technology.

There are several other BCI devices ranging from cute to incredible. NeuroSky is showcasing their newest software application, Focus Pocus ($199), at this year’s CES. Focus Pocus is a game designed to help children with concentration problems improve their impulse control, attention span, and memory.  The company also had a huge hit at last summer’s Comic Con with their Necomimi product; fuzzy ears that are attached to and controlled by a MindWave. They move in relation to the wearer’s mood. When focused the ears stand straight up, when relaxed they droop, and extreme focus will cause the ears to wiggle. Puzzlebox projects have been more ambitious. They made it in the Guinness Book of World Records last year by moving a car across a warehouse with a thought-powered crane, and most recently they created a robotic wheelchair controlled by brain waves. With these kinds of innovations on the horizon it’s easy to see how this technology, although still in its infancy, could someday improve life for us all.