Thanks to a new gadget created by Kazuhiro Taniguchi of Osaka University more people will appear crazy in public. Taniguchi, the chief researcher at Osaka University's Graduate School of Engineering Science in western Japan has invented a new gizmo called “Mimi Switch” or “Ear Switch” which will allow a person to simply use facial expressions (smile, lift an eyebrow or wink) in order to change the music on their iPod, start the washing machine, turn on lights and other electronic devices. The device senses movements inside the ear, which are caused by the person's facial expressions. It then transmits readings to an attached micro-computer, which in turn translates them into commands for the music device, washer, etc. 

So, the next time you see somebody walking down the street with their tongue out, there is a good chance they either forgot to turn off the toaster before they left their home or have decided to skip to a new track.

Taniguchi explained his invention:

"An iPod can start or stop music when the wearer sticks his tongue out, like in the famous Einstein picture. If he opens his eyes wide, the machine skips to the next tune. A wink with the right eye makes it go back. The machine can be programmed to run with various other facial expressions, such as a wriggle of the nose or a smile. It monitors natural movements of the face in everyday life and accumulates data. If it judges that you aren't smiling enough, it may play a cheerful song. If the system is mounted on a hearing aid for elderly people, it could tell how often they sneeze or whether they are eating regularly. If it believes they are not well, it could send a warning message to relatives."