Interaxon is developing an EEG or Electroencephalography headband which can determine the emotion of the wearer by analyzing brain waves. The product is named Muse and comes with a Brain Health package that will help users to change their brain waves so that a person feels inner peace.
CEO Ariel Garten states that, “You can listen more carefully to what’s going on inside the brain, understand the relationship between brain activity and emotions and gain more control over your emotional state.”
In everyday use an EEG is used in a medical setting to diagnose epilepsy, dementia or to determine if a person is in a coma or is brain dead. The EEG uses contacts on the scalp to measure electrical activity in the brain which is active if the person is thinking, working or doing any other activity. These electrical impulses are cyclical and resemble waves and ranges of frequencies each meaning something different biologically. These frequencies have names like Alphas or Betas to differentiate them from other waves. Garten explains that, “Beta waves are associated with focus and alpha waves when you are relaxed and calm or quiet the mind.” Beta waves are the most common but alpha rhythm waves are the best mode for learning or doing complex activities.
Garten says that, “This is still first stage technology so what we can detect is still quite limited but the very fact that we can detect it is pretty damn exciting. The predominant thing we can detect is alpha waves and beta waves.”
The way the Muse works is that its reads brainwaves from four points on the head, then the Brain Health system goes through mindfulness-based exercises that are based on the readings the headband has just analysed. Garten says that, “Meditators can have a higher resting alpha state. When you are meditating there are a number of brain changes which go on and over time those become persistent so people are able to maintain this calm state of mind.”
Garten showcased the technology at the LeWeb Conference in Paris and said, “When someone is focussed the characters are small and tight and as they dream or relax or start to laugh the letters have florishes. When you are adding emphasis to something, you are smiling or using a lot of facial movement (which Muse can detect), we make the text bigger.”
Other competitors have also entered the space but they are using the EEG technology to as a control device. Garten explains that, “We can do really basic controls – one dimension – based on alpha waves and beta waves. When you focus on something it will happen. If there’s a glowing ball in your game and you focus on it (to go into a beta state), it can get bigger.”
However, this is not the goal of Muse and the device is meant for self improvement and peace of mind, worthy goals many aim for daily.
Source: Venture Beat
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