Fly a drone with the sheer power of the mind? Sounds like something an illusionist would promise, or that I might have seen on Tomorrow's World, the long-running BBC show on the future that is now of the past.
And yet that is what I did on Sunday in Dubai. True, it was a small drone, and my mind was enabled with a highly-sophisticated headset. But in essence, that is what I did.
Thanks to Emotiv, a company with cutting-edge technology that can harness the power of your brain, we can now map how a mind works and how it can be trained to move objects.
As I stood in the grounds of the Atlantis, The Palm, Olivier Oullier, president of Emotiv, placed the company's headset on my head and his colleague adjusted a tablet to read my brain’s activity. I was asked to still my mind – a difficult feat in front of curious onlookers and a couple of photographers looking on.
After recording the behavior of my still mind for eight seconds, I was asked to concentrate my thoughts on trying to make the drone fly. Eight more seconds and the practice run was over.
Then, with Mr Oullier holding the drone and the tablet recording my brain activity, I was told to think about levitating it. I looked at it, willed it to fly, but no action. It appeared that the connection between the drone, my headset and the tablet needed adjusting.
On my second try, after a slight hesitation, the drone flew up, but crashed quickly into Mr Oullier’s chest. But at least we had lift off, if not much flying.
By this point, I felt my mind wander to the sessions at the Global Education and Skills Forum that I had to get back to. I was also wondering about how the editorial work back at The National's headquarters in Abu Dhabi was developing. And while no physical strength was required, the sheer concentration and anticipation left me somewhat in need of a rest.
__________
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Mr Oullier seemed to sense my distraction. He told me to clear my mind and concentrate, and I realised I hadn’t really been able to focus on the task at hand with the distractions around me. So I committed to thinking solely about flying this drone and we gave it another go.
I decided to close my eyes – even if that looked somewhat odd to those watching me. As I focused on the image of the drone possibly lifting off I thought ‘just fly’. And it did. The drone took off and I continued to shout silently to myself ‘fly, fly...'.
It continued to soar to the delight of those around me. It lifted high above one of several giant tents hosting discussions at the forum – and we lost contact with it.
The drone landed out of view, presumably above the tent, meaning the Emotiv team no doubt needed the help of crew to retrieve it. While I took a few seconds to comprehend the power of thought being enough to fly a drone, I felt joyful that I had unlocked a part of my mind I had never realised could be used.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
