What is Mind Control?: “Refers to a broad range of psychological tactics able to subvert an individual’s control of his own thinking, behavior, emotions, or decisions” – Wikipedia

Fringe, Fact or Fiction?: According to a recent Popular Mechanics article, Mind Control may be somewhere in between Fringe and Fact:

The Force, it appears, may be with us sooner than expected. A study in the journal Naturethis spring all but confirmed the latest evolution in the hard-charging, heady field of cybernetics: Monkeys can control machines with their brains. In the experiment, conducted by neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, a pair of macaque monkeys with electrodes implanted in their brains were able to quickly learn how to operate a robot arm as though it were their own, successfully fee ding themselves more than half the time. Aside from building a fleet of potentially potbellied test subjects, however, could this apparent breakthrough bring mind control to human prosthetics anytime soon? Or could it mean even more?

On the research track of brain-computer interfaces—direct neural connections that allow brain signals to operate a device—the robo-joystick monkeys look awfully familiar. That’s because Pitt released similar results in 2005, with a different kind of robotic arm used to grasp and retrieve food. And as far back as 2000, electrode-implanted monkeys at Duke University moved a robot arm—again, to reach for food—with their minds. Scientists at Duke ran similar experiments in 2003 and, this past January, showed off a rig that let an owl monkey on a treadmill control the walking movements of a 200-pound humanoid robot in Japan.

As interesting (if repetitive) as each of these incremental achievements are, the endgame for mind-machine interfaces is nothing short of astonishing. In the years to come, this technology could lead to prosthetics that react perfectly to a user’s thoughts, or devices that move in ways we never imagined, responding to mental commands faster than our own bodies can. The future of hyperspeed brain control outside of the lab may come littered with more pratfall than promise—even the field’s leading neuroscientist offered plenty of caveats and insisted, like his peers, that one or two major breakthroughs in other fields are still needed to open up the devices to everyone. But if the recent run of mind-bending success in this field is any indication, the big breaks can come faster than expected.

Mind Control in Popular Culture: A Clockwork Orange, The Matrix and X-Men’s Professor Xavier are just a few examples of Mind Control being portrayed in popular culture. Perhaps the most fun portrayal come from the “Jedi Mind Trick” seen in Star Wars:

In the fictional universe of Star Wars, a Jedi mind trick is a Force power. Jedi who know the power can, by using the Force, influence the actions of other “weak-minded” sentient beings.

Jedi typically perform this ability with a wave of the hand and a verbal suggestion. If the trick is successful, the victim will reply by restating the suggestion and will immediately think or do whatever the Jedi suggested. The hand wave may not be required to use the power, but in the films Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn both perform the wave when using the trick, as does Luke Skywalker.

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