Honda announced that they have developed a way to use brain signals (read using an MRI) to control the motions of a robotic hand. So far it looks pretty rudimentary but it is a giant step towards controlling things by your own thoughts. It is easy to think up applications for something like this, and just as easy to imagine how difficult it will be to move forward from here.
Apparently the demonstration consisted of a person in the MRI machine who made a fist, spread his fingers and then made a V-sign. Several seconds later, the robotic hand copied the movements.
Personally, I think instead of a hand I would have used a robot leg and made it take a step.
An article about the announcement and demonstration can be found here: Honda Says Brainwaves Control Robot
