Video: Japanese company unveils mind-controlled tail for humans

A Japanese company has unveiled a brain-controlled tail which wags when its owner is happy.

The Shippo comes in two parts, a cap which senses its user's brainwaves, and a furry tail which wags to let the world know what you are feeling.

The hat senses whether its user is relaxed or concentrating hard, then wags the tail accordingly.

When the wearer is concentrating, the tail wags hard and fast. When the wearer is relaxed, it wags slowly.

The Bo-Shippo (it means 'hat' in Japanese) is at prototype stage at present, but the brainwave-reading technology is similar to one already used in games such as Mattel's Mindball, where concentrating controls a fan that moves a ball through hoops.


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The hat-tail combination pairs with a smartphone and also creates maps showing off the wearer's emotion - although it's unclear what purpose these might serve.

The Japanese company behind Shippo, Neurowear, has already shown off ears that move 'in time' with a wearer's emotions, and promises that these will be on the market by year end.


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The company says, "We develop fashion items and gadgets using brain waves and other biosensor to build an 'Augmented Human Body.'"

Neurowear promises more out-there garments to come.