From Optimizing Mathematical Systems
to Optimizing Human Potential
The Story of MindOptimal
Before MindOptimal became a destination for AI-powered personality tests and self-discovery tools, the domain tomdyn.com was home to something quite different — and remarkably related.
For years, tomdyn.com hosted PROPT — Optimal Control Software, a MATLAB-based toolkit for solving complex optimal control and dynamic optimization problems. PROPT was developed by Per Rutquist and Marcus Edvall as part of the Tomlab Optimization Environment, a suite of mathematical optimization solvers widely used in academia and industry. The software was referenced by Wikipedia and Scholarpedia as a recognized tool in the field of optimal control — enabling researchers and engineers to model everything from rocket trajectories to chemical reactor controls.
The name “tomdyn” stood for Tomlab Dynamic Optimization — a lineage of mathematical rigor, systems thinking, and the belief that complex systems can be understood, modeled, and optimized.
The Bridge: Math Meets Meaning
The same impulse that drives someone to optimize a dynamical system — to find the best possible trajectory given constraints and goals — is remarkably close to what drives personal growth. MindOptimal was born from this intuition: that the tools of structured thinking, when paired with modern AI, can help people understand themselves more clearly and live more intentionally.
What MindOptimal Does Today
MindOptimal is an AI-powered platform offering over 60 free interactive tools — personality tests based on Jung‘s theory, tarot card readings, dream interpretation, life optimization simulators, and more. We use large language models to generate personalized, insightful results that are complete, shareable, and free — with optional deep-dive reports for those who want to go further.
Our flagship tool, the Optimal Life Simulator, is the natural evolution of the PROPT legacy: a simulation environment where you adjust the parameters of your life — career, relationships, habits, risk tolerance — and watch an AI model project possible futures. It‘s optimal control, applied to the most complex system of all: a human life.
Why “MindOptimal”?
The brand name is a deliberate double reference. On one level, it‘s aspirational — moving toward a more optimal state of mind, self-awareness, and decision-making. On another, it‘s a nod to the optimization theory heritage of the domain itself: optimal control, optimal estimation, optimal design. We kept the word “Optimal” because it honors where we came from. We added “Mind” because it points to where we‘re going.
Academic Heritage
The domain tomdyn.com was originally created for the distribution of PROPT (Optimal Control Software), part of the Tomlab Optimization suite. Tomlab was founded in 1989 and became one of the leading platforms for numerical optimization, used by researchers at institutions worldwide — from aerospace engineering to biochemical process control.
PROPT itself was designed for solving large-scale optimal control problems using pseudospectral collocation methods — translating complex dynamic optimization problems into nonlinear programming problems that could be solved efficiently. It was cited in academic papers, referenced on Wikipedia‘s optimal control pages, and used in university courses across multiple continents.
At MindOptimal, we‘re proud of this heritage. While we no longer develop mathematical optimization software, the ethos of rigorous thinking, systematic improvement, and respect for the complexity of dynamic systems remains at the core of everything we build.
The Team
MindOptimal is built by a small, distributed team of engineers, psychologists, and creators who share a belief that self-knowledge is the most undervalued form of optimization. We combine backgrounds in software engineering, AI research, personality psychology, and user experience design to build tools that are scientifically grounded, genuinely useful, and — we hope — a little bit delightful.
If you‘d like to get in touch — whether to share feedback, suggest a tool, or discuss a collaboration — reach out at hello@tomdyn.com.
Ready to explore your own optimal trajectory?
Start with the tool that carries forward the optimization tradition — or browse all 60+ free personality and psychology tools.