Subtle Body Project Overview

Hello everyone
here is the blog for the Subtle Body Project at the Multi Media Graduate Program at CSU East Bay.
We will be updating our Lab experiments and technological break throughs on this blog.
Stay tuned...


Here is an overview of the project-

S U B T L E B O D Y
MULTI MEDIA MASTERS PROPOSAL
Mohammed Mohanna, Jef Stott, Curtis Corlew

Research question-
How can technology be used to display internal biological phenomena as a rich audio/ visual experience based on the Users mental and physical state of being?

Project description
User experience:
The User will attempt to control audio and visual output of a multimedia experience that mirrors their internal state.
The wired up User will sit in a comfortable chair with a 3-D projected image in front of them. This shape will come into focus as the User focuses their mental and physical energy. Corresponding sonic drones will provide an audio component that correlates to the visual component. These sounds will also modulate and change as the Users focuses their attention.
This project will compile and develop technologies that will monitor and capture brainwaves EEG, galvanic skin response GSR, and other human physiological activities in the form of electromagnetic energy. This information will be collected via electrical transducers such as electrode sensors which will be placed on the skin of the user.
The human analog information will be converted into digital data that will then be analyzed and organized into algorithmic parameters for audio and visual output.

The the basic components of signal flow for the information is as follows:

Sensors into A/D/MIDI converter
MIDI into MAX/MSP
Data is processed in a custom patch in MAX/MSP and routed to both audio and visual applications.
Data from MAX is sent out as MIDI to Ableton Live and VST synths.
Data from MAX is sent out to Flash via a Flash Server patch and controls visual components.

Proposed Technologies:

Hardware:
Various Skin Sensors
A/D converters
Brain Master Atlantis II portable EEG device
EEG electrodes
GSR Handplate sensor
Arduino microcontroller
LCD Projection
Apple G5 computers

Software:
C++ language
MAX/MSP
Ableton Live
Flash
Action Script 3.0
Motu Digital Performer
Various VST synths
Jitter with Cell, or Modul8 VeeJay software.