Design World

  • Home
  • Technologies
    • 3D CAD
    • Electronics • electrical
    • Fastening & Joining
    • Factory automation
    • Linear Motion
    • Motion Control
    • Test & Measurement
    • Sensors
    • Fluid power
  • Learn
    • Ebooks / Tech Tips
    • Engineering Week
    • Future of Design Engineering
    • MC² Motion Control Classrooms
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • LEAP AWARDS
  • Leadership
    • 2022 Voting
    • 2021 Winners
  • Design Guide Library
  • Resources
    • 3D Cad Models
      • PARTsolutions
      • TraceParts
    • Digital Issues
      • Design World
      • EE World
    • Women in Engineering
  • Supplier Listings

BrainNet Allows Three People to Communicate Using Brainwaves to Play Tetris

By Bob Yirka , Tech Xplore | October 1, 2018

Share

A combined team of researchers from the University of Washington and Carnegie Mellon University has developed what they call BrainNet—a system that allows three people to communicate with one another using only brain waves. They have written a paper describing their system and how well it works and have posted it on the arXivpreprint server.

Prior research has shown that it is possible for two people to collaborate to a limited extent using brain waves to play a video game. In this new effort, the researchers have extended the idea to include a third person.

Two volunteers were fitted with electrodes on their scalps to detect brain waves—standard electroencephalogram hardware and software were used to process the signals. A third volunteer was fitted with electrodes for reading brain waves, but also had devices placed near his head for conducting transcranial magnetic stimulation. The first two volunteers were deemed senders—they watched the same Tetris game as the third person, called the receiver, and gave hints using their minds. Prior research had shown that when a person looks at an LED blinking at 15 Hz, their brain waves sync with it, and begin transmitting at the same frequency. Likewise, if that person switches to looking at an LED blinking at 17 Hz, their brainwaves start transmitting at 17 Hz. This allowed the senders to speak in binary to the receiver—rotate the falling object, or don’t rotate it.

For his part, the receiver needed the hints from the senders because his view of the game was partially blocked—he was not able to see the bottom half of the screen. By listening to the binary messages from the senders, he would know whether to rotate a falling object or not. Prior research had shown that when a subject received a magnetic pulse to the occipital lobe in the brain, they would see a flash of light. Thus, to “hear” a message from a sender, the receiver would see such flashes of light indicating when to rotate the block. Afterward, the senders could offer more hints based on changes in orientation to the object in the game.

The researchers suggest there is no reason BrainNet could not be expanded to include as many people as desired—they envision such networks being used to solve problems collaboratively using the Internet.


Filed Under: M2M (machine to machine)

 

Related Articles Read More >

Part 6: IDE and other software for connectivity and IoT design work
Part 4: Edge computing and gateways proliferate for industrial machinery
Part 3: Trends in Ethernet, PoE, IO-Link, HIPERFACE, and single-cable solutions
Machine Learning for Sensors

DESIGN GUIDE LIBRARY

“motion

Enews Sign Up

Motion Control Classroom

Design World Digital Edition

cover

Browse the most current issue of Design World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading design engineering magazine today.

EDABoard the Forum for Electronics

Top global problem solving EE forum covering Microcontrollers, DSP, Networking, Analog and Digital Design, RF, Power Electronics, PCB Routing and much more

EDABoard: Forum for electronics

Sponsored Content

  • Global supply needs drive increased manufacturing footprint development
  • How to Increase Rotational Capacity for a Retaining Ring
  • Cordis high resolution electronic proportional pressure controls
  • WAGO’s custom designed interface wiring system making industrial applications easier
  • 10 Reasons to Specify Valve Manifolds
  • Case study: How a 3D-printed tool saved thousands of hours and dollars

Design World Podcasts

May 17, 2022
Another view on additive and the aerospace industry
See More >
Engineering Exchange

The Engineering Exchange is a global educational networking community for engineers.

Connect, share, and learn today »

Design World
  • Advertising
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Manage your Design World Subscription
  • Subscribe
  • Design World Digital Network
  • Engineering White Papers
  • LEAP AWARDS

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Design World

  • Home
  • Technologies
    • 3D CAD
    • Electronics • electrical
    • Fastening & Joining
    • Factory automation
    • Linear Motion
    • Motion Control
    • Test & Measurement
    • Sensors
    • Fluid power
  • Learn
    • Ebooks / Tech Tips
    • Engineering Week
    • Future of Design Engineering
    • MC² Motion Control Classrooms
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • LEAP AWARDS
  • Leadership
    • 2022 Voting
    • 2021 Winners
  • Design Guide Library
  • Resources
    • 3D Cad Models
      • PARTsolutions
      • TraceParts
    • Digital Issues
      • Design World
      • EE World
    • Women in Engineering
  • Supplier Listings