Muse Headband Workshop

Last week we had a workshop on the Muse Headband as part of the ProWork course, where we were able to get to know the device better and learn about its functions both theoretically and practically. We were able to try out the corresponding meditation application for 5 minutes at a time, and afterwards we tested the functionality in group work.

First things first, what is the Muse Headband?

The Muse Headband measures the brain waves with the help of 7 sensors (2 on the forehead, 2 behind the ear, 3 reference sensors) and is easily connected to a mobile device via Bluetooth.

“Muse detects a range of brain electrical activity and transforms it into easily understandable experiences. The Muse app transforms raw brain signals into many different components – noise, oscillations, non-periodic characteristics, and transient and event-related brain events. Signal processing and machine learning techniques are applied to the brain signal components to control the experience in real time.”

During the workshop we were also asked to research which reference projects exist with the EEG or Muse Headband. For this purpose I found a video that talks about controlling or monitoring the brain activity of students in China (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMLsHI8aV0g).

Apart from the control aspect, I found it very intriguing to consider how an EEG could be used “positively” in education. For this I have discovered a new field of research for me, which I would like to combine with the question of the necessity of multimodal and multi-sensory interfaces, and I would like to take a closer look at it.

Concretely the resulting questions are the following:

  • How can an EEG be used in the educational system to optimize the transmission of content in a way that is tailored to the goal?
  • Which multimodal interfaces stimulate the brain most and which principles can be derived for further projects?
  • Which possibilities are there to develop educational methods in the spectrum of brain waves of autistic children? Are there reference projects for this? Are there differences in the brain waves of autistic and non-autistic children? 

Sources:
https://choosemuse.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKCAiAx_DwBRAfEiwA3vwZYsj9482bQZiYzVjq-I2RGmrtmWtTPtzs3g3vpam4_9jfGrxUJzsTlBoChrAQAvD_BwE

You can read more about brain waves and the significance of the individual waves here:

https://choosemuse.com/blog/a-deep-dive-into-brainwaves-brainwave-frequencies-explained-2/?_gl=1%2Aoel577%2A_gcl_aw%2AR0NMLjE1Nzg5NDE2MDUuQ2p3S0NBaUF4X0R3QlJBZkVpd0EzdndaWXNFa2k3UTljQXIzTTY1M1lTcjZ6eEw5Z3BZbDh4VWxEVV9TZ18yY0ZFWnN5ZWlrRkJ0NnVCb0MzSTRRQXZEX0J3RQ..&_ga=2.181224103.1462947450.1578941541-1713987349.1578489899&_gac=1.214140645.1578941605.CjwKCAiAx_DwBRAfEiwA3vwZYsEki7Q9cAr3M653YSr6zxL9gpYl8xUlDU_Sg_2cFEZsyeikFBt6uBoC3I4QAvD_BwE