It knows when you've been sleeping. It knows when you're awake. And no, we don't mean that jolly old man in the red jumpsuit who slips down your chimney every Christmas Eve with a bag full of toys – we're talking about a computer.

That's right: Researchers at Tufts University in Boston are developing a brand-new computer that's capable of reading its user's mind. When you sit down at one of these special computers, you put on a high-tech headband that measures how much light is absorbed by the tissues in your brain. The headband's data is then transferred to the computer, which can determine what's going on inside your head.

Sound a little too Big Brother for you? Don't worry: The computers won't be able to tell whether you're fantasizing about your co-worker in the next cubicle. What they can do is spot signs of frustration with the task at hand and measure how hard your brain is working – so you might not want to doze off on the job.

If this seems like great news for your boss, but bad news for you, you can relax. It's not likely that your office will be equipped with these special mind-reading systems anytime soon, much as your manager might enjoy it. The new computers are simply being used as a valuable research tool that measures how the mind functions while performing work-related tasks.

With their help, researchers could soon learn how to increase happiness and productivity at the workplace. So, if you end up with an office barista or  ping-pong table, who knows? You might just have a computer to thank for the brilliant suggestion.

Read the whole story. (LiveScience)


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