---
title: "Is This Mind-Controlled Tesla Model S Real?"
description: "Short video offers more questions than answers."
date: "2016-04-07"
modified: "2016-04-07"
authors:
  - name: "Will Sabel Courtney"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/will-sabel-courtney"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/2906/is-this-mind-controlled-tesla-model-s-real"
categories:
  - "Car Tech"
  - "Electric Vehicles"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Self-Driving Tech"
  - "Tesla News"
tags:
  - "Electric Vehicle"
  - "luxury"
  - "model s"
  - "sedan"
  - "Tesla"
---

# Is This Mind-Controlled Tesla Model S Real?

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/040716-mind-controlled-tesla-hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com\</em\>*

Take a Tesla Model S, hack into the operating system to allow it to talk with [an Emotiv Insight mind control headset](<https://emotiv.com/insight.php>), and what do you get? The first Tesla on Earth that you can drive...*with your mind*.

At least, that's what the gang at [Dallas-based app developer Touch Titans](<https://twitter.com/touchtitans>) are claiming to have created. A short video the company released on April 3 seems to show an empty Tesla Model S slowly gliding back and forth in an empty parking lot, commanded only by a dude wearing a slightly goofy brainwave-detecting headband.

Amazing, sure. But is it real?

See, here's the thing. Early this year, [Tesla released the Summon feature](<https://www.teslamotors.com/blog/summon-your-tesla-your-phone>) for cars equipped with Autopilot. That feature allows owners to slowly move their Model S forwards or backwards using either their phone or the car's key fob...exactly like the car in this video. It's easy to believe that a couple of smart hackers could worm their way into Summon and find a way to connect it to a set of brainwave sensors. But it's even easier to believe there's actually another guy just off camera tapping buttons to spur the Tesla back and forth.

For what it's worth, [Touch Titans did respond to allegations of potential hoaxery in the YouTube video's comments,](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae6En8-eaww&feature=youtu.be>) admitting there's no way to conclusively demonstrate in a video that the Model S is indeed being controlled through the brainwave-detecting apparatus. The company has offered to demonstrate the feature to any journalists in the Dallas area, however, so you can bet we'll be giving Touch Titans a ring the next time we're down in Texas.

https://youtube.com/embed/Ae6En8-eaww

## Author
Will is the former managing editor of *RIDES Magazine* and the former online editor for *0-60 Magazine*. He has worked for *Time Out New York* and *Rolling Stone*, and was the creator of *College Cars Online*, the first automotive blog specifically targeted at college students and young professionals.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/willsabelcourtney>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/willscourtney>)