Prototype that transforms emotions into sounds – The Universal

The Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the company Starlab and the University of Barcelona (UB) presented an innovative system that converts brain waves of emotions in sound allowing people to communicate with severe disabilities, such as those with CP .

This project, called “Brain Polyphony”, consists of a helmet (“Enobio helmet”) Standing on his head and heart neurosensors meters that transmit electrical impulses from the brain, heartbeat and muscle activity to a computer, which analyzes the emotional reaction in real time based on pre-established parameters.

The project manager, scientific CRG, Mara Dierssen, explained that this new sound system provides “the emotions of the patient through the brain electrical activity (EEG), heart (ECG), muscle (EMG) and accelerometer “.

Depending on the intensity of brain waves, the heart rate , its variation or muscle activity, the device measures whether a person can not be expressed either verbally or physically feel positive emotions (happiness) or negative (sadness or anger) in varying intensity.

As explained Marcos Quevedo, CRG-IMIM researcher, this system, which is being developed since March, it has been tested two patients with brain impairment with good results.

In each case, the researchers decide whether to use the EEG, ECG or EMG pattern (or all three at once), conducted a baseline calculation ( recorded what the neutral status of the patient) and, from there, starting with the analysis of the recorded from visual stimuli and reactions additives on the computer.

Starlab researcher David Ibáñez has expressed . the team will “democratize the project and make use of this technology in a real environment” so that people can use at home

Barcelona researcher Research Art & amp; Creation of the UB, Efraín Foglia said that this system could eventually supplant the physical caregiver of patients with disabilities, because “if the patient is able to control basic answers then can shape their environment.”

“Brain Polyphony” is a pilot project with one year ahead to be developed and applied to 15 more patients to check their performance, after which they hope to have at least a device operating at peak performance.

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