Tech magic: MIT student develops real Hogwarts sorting hat
The iconic Sorting Hat is on display in the queue line of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the marquee attraction of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort. Courtesy: Universal Orlando
BOSTON (AP) - A post-doctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a project that can analyze brain activity and sort users into a "Harry Potter" Hogwarts house.
MIT Media Lab student Nataliya Kosmyna says her "Thinking Cap" project is made of noninvasive electrodes that capture a person's brain activity and uses machine learning to detect what a user is imagining. The Boston Globe reports the electrodes are encased in a wizard hat prop modeled after the Sorting Hat from the popular "Harry Potter" series.
Kosmyna says the hat can determine what a person is thinking about and use the information to sort them into a Hogwarts house in one test.
The cap was featured at a MIT exposition Tuesday. The still-in-development project's eventual purpose is to help students build self-esteem.
Information from: The Boston Globe