A revolutionary Mind Switch that allows people to activate and control electrical devices without using their hands is achieving excellent results in trials and is set to be commercialised.

The Mind Switch has been developed by UTS researchers Professor Ashley Craig, Paul McIsaac and PhD student Yvonne Tran of the Department of Health Sciences; Associate Professor Les Kirkup and PhD student Andrew Searle of the Department of Applied Physics; and Associate Professor Hung Nguyen from the Faculty of Engineering.

Professor Craig says the latest prototype of the Mind Switch Environmental Control Unit (ECU) is proving more than 90 per cent reliable in its latest trials with severely disabled people. The trials were conducted in the homes of quadriplegics and people suffering a similar loss of movement caused by stroke, polio or cancer-based disruption of the central nervous system or spinal cord.

"These trials are important because a person's home is a more complex electronic environment than a lab or a hospital, making it more difficult to control things," said Professor Craig. "We asked participants to use the ECU to control their television: turn it on and off, change channels, and change the volume. Most could activate the switch in one to three seconds more than 90 per cent of the time."

The ECU is activated by a burst in alpha brainwaves when a person closes their eyes. It can be used to control a simple on/off switch, but it can also be easily adapted to operate a communication device.

"As long as someone can close their eyes, they can use the ECU," said Professor Craig. "People require no training other than familiarisation with the equipment."

Professor Craig says participants were also tested for brainwave activity: "We want to know why some people can do it extremely well, while others can't do it so well."

The technology has attracted worldwide interest because of its considerable potential to give people with severe physical disabilities and diseases of the central nervous system greater independence by giving them control over electrical equipment in their homes or workplaces.

The researchers received an Australian Research Council (ARC) grant, and have two commercial partners - Sunbuster Sportwear Pty Ltd, an Australian company which will research capwear designs for the ECU, and Technical Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, an Australian company specialising in technology for the disabled.

"The ARC grant allows us to continue to research and develop better ECU prototypes and eventually push through to commercialisation," said Professor Craig. "We could commercialise now, in fact, there is pressure on us to sell, especially from overseas, but the product would not be as user-friendly as we would like it to be," he said.

"We want to better understand the brain and the effect of certain drugs on the brain, so that we can fine tune the technology and enhance the ECU as we better understand its limitations and functions."

Professor Craig said that even though the current prototype is achieving excellent results in the current tests, "there will be a huge leap in quality when we develop the next one, which will be computer-based and not hugely expensive. In fact, the computer will probably be more expensive than the ECU."

Professor Craig also plans to adapt the ECU for use as a communication device rather than a control device.

"It would allow a person who can't talk to select words and phrases which they could put together quickly to communicate," he said.