"The Best Guests Come Bearing Gifts..." The Mimi Switch

The Mimi Switch. The days of digging through your purse or pockets every time you want to skip to the next track on your iPod are over. The Mimi Switch or "Ear Switch" reads your facial expressions then tells your iPod what to do. The device is fitted with a set of infrared sensors that measures movements inside the ear that are a result of movements on the face. Thanks to it's inventor, Kazuhiro Taniguchi of Osaka University, you can now stick your tongue out to start or stop your song, open your eyes wide to skip to the next track, and wink an eye to make it go back. It can also be programmed to play certain songs based on your mood. Basically if you aren't smiling enough it will try and spice up your day with a cheerful song... seriously. Our earphones just got a whole lot smarter.