Ever wished you could ring up a friend just by winking, or turn off a light by yawning but without getting out of bed?

Researchers at Nankai University in Tianjin say they have worked out a remote-control gadget that can send simple instructions to cell phones, lights and other modified devices by facial expression.

The gadget, which includes a headphone-like brainwave scanner and a receiver that connects to a laptop, can read the user's mind. Software installed in the laptop then instructs a preselected cell phone to ring, said Duan Feng, associate professor in the university's automation department.