It’s the first Canadian long weekend of the fall season, and InteraXon staff are relaxing with friends and family before we announce some exciting updates this week! Happy Thanksgiving, and for those also squeezing in a bit of time for this, Happy Oktoberfest.
This week in our news roundup, we link to some early details about our Toronto DigiFest keynote and demo; Mickey Hart’s live performance with neuroscientist Dr. Adam Gazzaley; a new system that helps with pattern recognition using EEG; a brainwave headset as a tool to diagnose and monitor Epilepsy
1// InteraXon at Toronto DigiFest
In 2 weeks InteraXon will be at Toronto DigiFest, an international conference celebrating creativity and innovation in the digital space. Ariel will be speaking on Thursday October 18th, and InteraXon will also be demoing on Saturday October 20th. We’re excited to share the stage with some friends that are also incredibly groundbreaking people, and will be posting more details here as they come!
2// Mickey Hart Performs Live With Brainwaves
Mikey Hart, a percussionist, musicologist, and drummer best known for his career with the Grateful Dead, vouched for neuroscience with a live performance using his brainwaves. The National Association for Music Merchants hosted Hart’s performance in New Orleans’s on September 22nd. Neuroscientist Dr. Adam Gazzaley wired Hart to a series of electrodes, and projected Hart’s brainwaves live infront of a 1000-person audience as Hart performed. The event was intended to discuss the affects and benefits of rhythm on the brain, and how music helps to shape total brain health. The Huffington Post reported:
“Dr. Gazzaley and Hart addressed an AARP conference that is increasingly comprised of baby boomers looking to stay mentally healthy as they age. Mary Luehrsen, Executive Director of the NAMM Foundation which funds music / brain research and music education initiatives, spent the weekend encouraging attendees at the music-making pavilion to pick up an instrument and consider, post-retirement, getting the proverbial band back together”
3// What If Your Brain, and Your Computer, Could Work Together at Pattern Recognition
This is exactly what DARPA is trying to figure out, with a new experimental technology and cognitive algorithms that work with EEG caps. Digital Trends reported on DARPA’s new system, writing:
“Basically, a soldier wears an electroencephalogram (EEG) cap that monitors his brain signals as he watches the feed from a 120-megapixel, tripod-mounted, electro-optical video camera with a 120-degree field of view. (Translation: incredible detail in a huge range of vision.)”
When an individual looks at an image or video while wearing an EEG cap, an associated computer algorithm identifies potential P300 responses. The system is designed to help trigger a P300 response to images and video, even if the individual is not consciously aware of patterns in the media. The system was originally prototyped for military uses, to help soldiers in the field; it also has useful application in day to day life, such as when individuals are doing repetitive tasks using a computer.
4// Headset For Epilepsy Monitoring
A new consumer-grade brainwave headset has been developed for Epilepsy monitoring, and as a tool to help with early diagnosis as well. The headset was developed by Imec in partnership with Panasonic and the Holst Center. Imec’s headset uses chips developed by the company’s research institute, and active electrodes to pick up and record 8 EEG signals simultaneously. The headset is currently in pre-clinical trials.
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The InteraXon news roundup is published weekly, every Sunday night, to recap trends and breaking news in the world of brain computer interfaces and thought controlled computing. Do you have a story you’d like to submit or share? Contact us at info@interaxon.ca (subject line “News Story”) or leave a comment here.
