Marketwatch reports that Hitachi has designed a headset that acts like a brain powered remote control. People wearing the device can send infrared signals to a television or stereo by concentrating.

Hitachi's "brain-machine interface system" features a headset that measures slight changes in blood flow in the brain, specifically by scanning it with near-infrared rays, business daily Nikkei reported in its Monday evening edition.

The brain signals are sent by optical fiber to a remote control, which is prompted by significant brain activity to beam infrared signals to a TV or other device. Blood flow increases considerably with mental activity, the report said.

Marketwatch says Hitachi plans to launch a commercial version of the technology in three to four years. The headset will first be offered to disabled people who can't operate remote control devices. Presumably, the headset could also be worn by people too lazy to use a remote control.