If humans could have any superpower, which option would we choose? Telepathy? The ability to fly? What if we could control things with our minds? As it turns out, we don’t need to fantasize about the latter possibility any longer. Groundbreaking technologies have created a pathway that allows us the capability to use our brains for more than what we’re familiar with. Thanks to funding from the Perkins grant, SPC’s Innovation Lab at the Seminole Campus now has an EEG headset that is available for use.
In 2018, Chad Mairn, Librarian and Manager of the Innovation Lab at SPC, visited the University of South Florida’s Computer Science and Engineering department to learn more about their Neuro-Machine Interaction Lab, which studies mediums of new human interaction with physiological sensors, specifically sensors that acquire brain data. When Mairn visited the lab, he was impressed when he saw professors and students racing drones without any physical controllers – they were using their brainwaves to fly these drones!
After 20 minutes of wearing an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset, the electrical activity of Mairn’s brain was recorded and then sent to a drone’s flight computer. Before he knew it, he was also flying a drone with his brainwaves! Even though his brain-computer interface (BCI) training was not complete during that short visit, it gave Chad the desire to continue to work with EEG technology with SPC students and faculty ever since.
Having basic exposure to EEG technology while learning to configure and troubleshoot the MyndHub/MyndBand equipment will benefit Applied Engineering Technology, Biomedical Engineering Technology, and our Medical Equipment Repair programs. EEG devices are used widely in various medical fields, since they measure brain activity in a non-invasive way, so having a good understanding of how the technology works will be advantageous for potential job opportunities that are built around these programs. Going further, select Psychology students could help analyze raw brainwave data while the Engineering and repair program students can work alongside them to potentially help brainstorm, design, engineer, and prototype new medical devices/applications using a variety of brainwave output.
What other possibilities await with this innovative technology? The only way to find out is to visit Chad Mairn at the Innovation Lab!