How to unlock a car using your brain

It sounds odd, but holding your key fob up to your head can extend its range, allowing you to unlock your vehicle from a greater distance. Many experiments have been conducted to test this out, revealing the scientific reasoning behind this strange unlocking technique.

When you press the unlock button on your car’s key fob, electromagnetic waves are sent out which are received by your vehicle. The frequency of these waves depends on what car you own, but typically it's somewhere between 300–400MHz.

The wavelength of these electromagnetic waves is therefore around a meter in length. This means that the further away you are from your car, the weaker these waves will be once when they reach your vehicle.

However, by aiming the fob at your head you can more than double its range in some cases. This has to do with the fluid in your skull.

The electromagnetic waves pass through the water molecules in your head and pull the positive hydrogen ions and negative oxygen ions in opposite directions, causing them to shift backwards and forwards.

This movement of molecules radiates energy at the same frequency as the original signal, in a similar manner as a radio antenna. Therefore the combination of the key fob with your head extends the range to a greater distance before the waves eventually dissipate.

This technique can also be demonstrated more simply with just a container of water, however, it can be agreed that using your brain is not only easier but much more impressive too.