On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…the last gift idea for gadget lovers who don't really merit spending over $100 on.
Today, the weirdest and most memorable of all: the Necomimi Brain-Powered Cat Ears ($100).
It's a headband with fluffy white cat ears attached. They perk up, flop down and otherwise turn, cutely and catlike, in sync with your brainwaves.
That's the promise, anyway. A slightly uncomfortable forehead arm picks up the echoes of your neural activity from the front, and a clip on your earlobe completes the circuit. As your mental activity rises and falls, as your mood changes, the ears take on a life of their own.
There's a good deal of debate online about just how much the ears' motion is, in fact, governed by your brainwaves. There are certainly times when they seem exactly in sync with you, and others when they seem completely random. No question about it: brain-computer interfaces are in their infancy.
But some things the Necomimis do extremely well are get attention, start conversations and make your holiday gift memorable. It doesn't take a lot of brainwaves to realize that.
So there you have it, tech fans: 12 consecutive days' worth of offbeat tech-gadget gifts for your loved ones and pals. Hope your days are merry and bright.
Now go start wrapping.
