( WIRED ) -- Along with the figure skating , ice hockey and snowboarding , another event will compete for attention at the Winter Olympics in Canada this month . A Canadian company has created what it calls the `` largest thought-controlled computing installation . '' It 's an experiment that lets visitors to the Olympics use their brainwaves to control the lights at three major landmarks in Canada , including Niagara Falls . `` When people put on the headsets and find themselves increasing the brightness of the lights by just thinking about it , you can almost see their brains explode , '' says Trevor Coleman , chief operating officer for InteraXon , the company that has created this installation . As consumers get more comfortable with going beyond the keyboard and the mouse to interact with their computers , companies are looking for alternate ways to make the experience better . Already , touch and voice recognition have become a major part of the user interface in smartphones , and harnessing brainwaves or other biological data is slowly emerging as a third option , especially in gaming . Companies such as NeuroSky offer headphones that promise to translate the gamer 's brainwaves into action on screen . A biometrics company called Innerscope is helping Wired host a geeked-out Super Bowl party . And even Microsoft is working on alternate forms of input ; its Project Natal promises to add gesture recognition to Xbox 360 games later this year . InteraXon 's installation is spread across three sites : Toronto 's CN Tower , Ottawa 's Parliament Buildings and Niagara Falls . All three locations have two chairs set up , each with its own headset . The headsets have an external probe that touches the wearer 's forehead to measure the baseline brain activity . The chairs are rigged to offer tactile feedback as users enter the desired brain state . The headset measures the brain 's electrical output and reacts to alpha waves , associated with relaxation , and beta waves , which indicate concentration . As users relax or focus their thoughts , the computer sends a message to the site they are viewing . InteraXon 's software translates users ' thoughts to commands that will change the lighting display . For instance , by concentrating , users can make the lights at the CN Tower spin faster or change the brightness of the lights at Niagara Falls . It 's easy enough once users get started , says Coleman . `` To achieve the beta state we ask users to focus on things like an object ahead and its details , while for an alpha response we ask them to take a deep breath and relax to let their mind go , '' he says . `` But after a minute or two of trying it , we found most users no longer require the physical cues , '' says Coleman . Over the two weeks that the exhibit will be open , InteraXon expects more than 2,000 visitors to try it out . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2010 Wired.com .
Canadian company creates `` largest thought-controlled computing installation '' Visitors to the the Winter Olympics use brainwaves to control the lights at more than 2,000 major Ottawa landmarks . People put on headsets and increase lighting by thinking about it , company explains . Landmarks are : Ottawa 's CN Tower , Ottawa 's Wired.com and Niagara Falls .