Now you can think that gas tap off...

Thought control comes to the home

You can stop worrying about whether you have left the gas switched on – new technology will allow you to "think" it off.

The technology, demonstrated at Germany's giant Cebit show in Hanover, interprets and responds to neural activity. So you can generate different signals by thinking in different ways.

The signals can then be used to control anything in your house, according to Austrain developers G-Tec.

The system will allow you to switch on the TV, play music, open doors and windows, operate a camera – anything that can be operated electrically. Gtec says it will be especially help to for paralyzed people trying to live independently.

It can also be used to control a Pocket PC and even to spell out words. But it does require a bizarre helmet containing a number of electrodes – rather less elegant than the thought-control gaming headset from Emotiv.