Okay, maybe it’s not completely perfect, but this toy from Takara Tomy can work like your very own cheap lie detector. Look out, as it will signal to everyone looking at the device the state of mind that it senses on its wearer.
Cocoro Scanner may not be the most discreet name for this gizmo, but it does as what its name says: it scans the state of mind of a person, and tells everyone about it. This head-strapped contraption will signal either a green, red or yellow signal, depending on whether its wearer is agitated, relaxed, or confused. Try asking the wearer a question, and if the Cocoro Scanner gives a bright red signal, then the person’s probably too flustered about what you asked.
The technology of course isn’t as high tech as it looks. The gadget is capable of signaling a different color depending on the flow of blood on the wearer’s forehead. The faster the blood flows parallel to the sensor, the higher the presumed level of tension, and it is highly likely that it will give a red signal. The lower the blood flows parallel to the sensor, the lower the presumed tension level, and the device would probably give a green signal more.
What is perhaps interesting in this simple gizmo is that, since the device is strapped on the user’s head, the user would never see or know the signaled color. This means that they have no idea if the signal is already exposing their inner most thoughts or not. The official website even stresses this fact, stating that an arm or hand-strapped device would probably not be as effective, or as interesting. Maybe this will cause the device to show a red signal more during family reunions?
The Cocoro Scanner has just been recently released in Japan, and it is available at an equivalent retail price of about $23.00.
