Mind Over Matter at WonderWorks

Mindball exhibit makes its debut at WonderWorks “Amusement Park for the Mind” Pigeon Forge Tennessee.
Christmas Day 2008 marked the Dawn of a new day for WonderWorks. Guests were treated to a Mind bending experience that will have them looking at the world in a whole new way.
How it works … Mindball is a game that goes against the conventional concept of competition. Instead of exertion and adrenaline, it is calmness that determines a successful Mindball player. The Goal is to be more Relaxed and Focused than your opponent. Relax to Win. To focus your mind and move a ball into you opponent’s goal is truly an awe inspiring sight.




“Visitors found it fascinating to watch or participate in a Mindball competition says Rich Benjamin Director of Marketing for WonderWorks”. Two competitors pit their mental wits against one another. The competitors sit at opposite ends of the game table. To participate in Mind ball competitors wear headbands that have 3 sensors that read and process their EEG “Electroencephalography” brain wave patterns. There are 4 major brain waves in the brain; however the Alpha & Theta brain waves are the two that are related to calmness thus making them very important in this competition. The head bands and a computer interface translate the player’s brainwaves into action… The player who is most relaxed will mentally push a steel ball towards their opponent’s goal when the steel ball enters the goal a buzzer sounds and the game is won. If you ever watched Star Wars as a kid and were fascinated to see the Jedi move things with their mind, you will be truly fascinated when you too can move an object with your mind.

For more information about WonderWorks and Mindball visit WWW.wonderworkstn.com or call (865) 868-1800

WonderWorks Presents "Mind Ball"

Coming Soon ...MIND BALL!!!



WonderWorks Amusment Park for the "Mind" Forges ahead in its persuit to provied the most innovative "Mind Blowing Experiences in Family Fun. December 20th WonderWorks newest exhibit Mindball will be unvailed, it is a game that goes against the conventional competitive concept, and also reinvents the relationship between man and machine. Instead of activity and adrenalin, it is passivity and calmness that mark the truly successful Mindball player. Mindball is unique amongst machines since it is not controlled by the player's rational, strategic thoughts and decisions. On the contrary, the participants are dependent on the body's own intuitive reactions to the game/machine. At first glance, Mindball seems similar to a traditional two player game - two people challenge one another and take their respective positions at each end of a table that is laid out with two goals and a little ball. The rest of the game's equipment is more special. Both players wear a strap around their forehead that contains electrodes and is wired up to a biosensor system. This system that is used to measure the body's biological signals, is tightly fastened to the frontal lobes and registers the electrical activity of the brain - so called EEG. The players' brain activity is graphed in a diagram on any attached display/monitor so that the public can easily follow the players' mental processes during the match. The brain waves that move the ball forward, increasing the chance of victory, are called Alpha and Theta waves. They are generated by the brain when one is calm and relaxed. A considerably stressed player will therefore lose. The matches' outcome is rarely obvious since the transition between calm and stress, and vice versa, can occur quickly. Often, the ball will roll backwards and forwards for a few minutes before the game is concluded. In this way, Mindball is an exciting and social game where the audience can follow the match by watching the ball on the table, the graph on the display/monitor and the more or less relaxed expressions of the players.

For more information about WonderWorks Please visit www.wonderworkstn.com