Scientists have devised a way of enabling people to turn electric lights on and off by brain power alone.

The remarkable experiment could pave the way for the development of a whole range of gadgets to help physically disabled children.

The Mind over matter process taps into a person's alpha brains waves, which come into play when a person is relaxed. They increase when a person closes their eyes and trigger enough energy to turn on the light or television or increase and decrease the volume.

Professor Ashley Craig, from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, has been working on the project with a team of ten scientists since 1996.

He said: "There are huge possibilities for disabled people. It also has potential for children because they have more alpha waves than adults."

The team is running demonstrations at London's Science Museum today as part of brain awareness week.