Neurotopia Video Game Taps Into Brain Waves To Sharpen User's Focus

MARINA DEL REY (CBSLA.com) — If your brain needs a bit of a boost a new kind of video game could help sharpen your skills.

No remote control it needed – this game is played by tapping into the brain's electrical waves.

Athletes are turning to the technology to give them a mental edge to beat their competitors.

Joe Hanks is one of the daring subjects who have given "Neurotopia" a try. This undefeated heavyweight boxing champion is among the top 15 fighters in the world.

"I was extremely, extremely nervous trying to find things out about my brain," Hanks said.

Neuroscientists found Hanks to be among the best at managing stress within his collision sport.

Neurological sensors were strapped to his head and his brain waves guide the game to fly a spaceship.

The more focused he was on the task at hand the faster his spaceship flew.

"Fight night is the same deal. It's very mental," said Hanks, who translates the mental strength training he learns in Neurotopia into the boxing ring.

"I feel so at ease and calm like my brain is building up to the point where I'm having these epiphanies all day," Hanks said.

"The athlete controls his environment, whereas the average individual or up-and-coming athlete is controlled by their environment," one of the Neurotopia scientists said.

Elite athletes like Hanks come to the Marina Del Rey-based business to increase their speed and focus.

Neurotopia is used by all kinds of people looking to raise their mental performance, including Olympians, business executives and students with learning disabilities.

Five years in the making, there's now an innovation that has made all of this technology available to the public.

It's called Brain Sport -- a specialized headset with gaming applications to download on an iPad or iPhone. The brain exercises are set to be released early next year.

For more information about Neurotopia and Brain Sport check out http://www.neurotopia.com/.