THIS WORKSHOP IS SOLD OUT.

Learn how to use Muse, a wearable brain-interface device developed by InteraXon, to create mind-controlled artworks. Import data into Arduino, Processing or MaxMSP to drive visualizations, make things move, illuminate, and more! You do not need to have a Muse brainwave-sensing device to participate. We will have them available for use throughout the workshop.

Date: Saturday October 10, 2015

Time: 10am - 4pm

Registration Fee: $75 (Members); $100 (Non-Members)

Material Fee: None. There will be Muse headbands for use during the workshops; participants do not have to purchase them.

What, if any, prerequisite knowledge should students have? Some experience writing code in Arduino, Processing, MaxMSP, or Python.

What to Bring: Laptop (Mac or PC)

Required Software: Whatever software students are most comfortable coding in (Arduino, Processing, MaxMSP, or Python), and any materials required for their prototype project.

About the Muse Brainwave-sensing Device (taken from interaxon.ca):

Although brain-computer interface (BCI) technology may sound futuristic, it is very real and rooted in the present. In fact, InteraXon designs and builds both the hardware and the software that brings the technology to you. BCI is based on harnessing the various types of electrical waves that the neurons of your brain produce.

For example, when you’re asleep, your brain emits ‘delta’ waves. When you’re calm and relaxed, you create more ‘alpha’ and ‘theta’ waves. When you’re really concentrating on something like one of those Sudoku puzzles, your brain is busy churning out either ‘beta’ or 'gamma' waves. We use EEG sensors to read and interpret these waves, and software to convert these brainwaves into digital signals that various apps can understand. What’s equally important to know is what BCI CAN’T do. The technology can’t read your mind. It can’t record your dreams. It can’t reveal your secrets. And most importantly: it can’t control your thoughts.

Another way of putting it: taking your pulse can tell you how fast your heart is beating, but it can’t control your heart rate or tell you whether you were just jogging or riding a bike. BCI technology can tell you how active your brain is, but it can’t tell what you're actually thinking about.