Hi-tech fashion uses brainwaves to tell mood

(CBS/Reuters) Tokyo is all ears for the latest in hi-tech fashion.

Headgear shaped like cat ears uses neuro-imaging technology to detect and interpret the emotions of its wearer.

Necomimi, which translates to "cat ears" in Japanese, has two brain wave sensors.

One is positioned on the forehead, the other on the ear lobe.

The sensors use non-invasive, neuro-imaging technology and the ears to react to the findings.

When the wearer is nervous, the ears shoot up. They flatten when the person is relaxed and flap back and forth when brain activity is low.

The science of neuro-control is being developed in labs all over the world. In Germany, the technology is being tested as a means for operating a car. And, in Switzerland, scientists are adapting it for wheelchair users.

While Necomimi may seem like a trivial application of the technology, Kana Nakano, one of the creators, said that the idea can be adapted to help children and the elderly communicate more effectively.