I Wish Someone Would Invent: a more "in touch" iPod

** UPDATE **
3/13/07: MindHacks.com has a write-up on a commercial biosignal reader from g.MOBIlab. Now all someone has to do is make it play music!

Have you ever thought about an invention that maybe YOU can't make, but it sure would be nice if someone else did?

People have made a big fuss over how their iPods, when on shuffle mode, can play exactly the right song for the moment. This is merely coincidence, of course, and for every Coldplay song you hear right as you are looking at a photo of an old girlfriend, there are thirty Aerosmith songs that play while you think about the grocery list.

But why leave it up to chance? Technology is currently available that can tell what our bodies are thinking. Maybe this technology can't tell exactly which ex-girlfriend is on our mind, but it can at least detect when we're sad and mopey. If someone could just hook these gadgets up to an iPod you'd have a pretty sophisticated little jukebox, able to play just the right song for just the right moment ... every time.



With a little computer programming on the front-end, this smart iPod can read your matrix of body cues and pick the right song. For example:

HIGH heart rate + HIGH cortisol =
I'm being chased by a tiger and I want to stop believing.
inTouch iPod recommends: "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

HIGH heart rate + HIGH dopamine =
My significant other and I are "getting busy."
inTouch iPod recommends: "I'm Qualified to Satisfy You" by Barry White

LOW heart rate + HIGH dopamine =
I'm sitting on a beach and someone's feeding me grapes.
inTouch iPod recommends: "Good for Me" by Amy Grant

HIGH heart rate + HIGH cortisol + HIGH GSR =
The boss I hate found out I keyed his Hummer.
inTouch iPod recommends: pretty much anything by Gwar

So, you want to invent it? Already know about something just like it? Got a reason why it would never work? Got some suggestions? Got your own "I Wish Someone Would Invent..."? See you in the comments!