Arguments over the remote control could soon be a thing of the past as the BBC has teamed up with tech company This Place to produce a headset that uses ‘mind control’ to select programmes.

The prototype has been designed to work with an experimental version of the BBC’s iPlayer catch-up service.

The brainwave-reading gadget enables viewers to turn on and operate the app by concentrating or relaxing their minds, choosing either ‘meditation’ or ‘attention’ on the player.

In initial trials, ten BBC staff used the headset to launch iPlayer and view a programme, though the BBC reports that some found it easier than others.

If further trials are successful, the technology could be used by people with a range of disabilities that prevent them from using traditional remote controls, however, the technology is unlikely to be ready for some years yet.

In a BBC Video, one of the testers commented that using brainwaves was “a lot slower than using a remote control”.

The BBC’s new headset may sound like something out of a science fiction story, but it isn’t the first gadget to use mind control technology.

Tech firm Tekever has already demonstrated a drone that can be piloted by brainwaves while a brain-powered exoskeleton created by Brazilian neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis was showcased at the 2014 World Cup.