Democratizing BCIs to foster curiosity, experimentation and speculation. Thesis Project in collaboration with NIMHANS
Context
Buddhi-GV was a 4 month long thesis project done in collobarotion with NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Helath and Neurosciences) and its upcoming Brain and Mind museum. Buddhi GV aims to use curisoity, experimentation and speculation to democratise access and understanding of Brain Computer Interfaces.
Open access reopsitory
Repo link: https://www.buddhigv.netlify.app
The first outcome of the project is an open access repository which contains information, experiments and documentation of exisiting Brain computer interfaces. The website has 3 sections
Curisoity
Documenting information and resources around brain computer interfaces. What is BCI? What are the types? How are they being used in medicine, gaming, art performance etc
Experimentation
Documentation of software and procedures to perform simple experiments with open source hardware and software. For example, How can we record EEG waves from the brain’s visual cortex and see the differences between eyes open and eyes closed states.
Recording EEG waves from the visual cortex
Recording EEG waves from the pre frontal cortex
Alpha waves between 8 to 12hz recorded when eyes are closed and participant is focused
Speculation
This section houses short stories of fiction written with the character of Buddhu GV.
Open Access and contribution
The entire respository is available on Github. Anybody can contribute to any section of the repository. The experiments are also documented and made public for anybody to try out with their own setup.
Anyone can contribute resources, experiments, fiction to the repo
BuddhiGV Repo link: https://github.com/abhiramjois/buddhigv
Experiments Repo link: https://github.com/abhiramjois/experiments-with-bci
Speculative Design and Fiction writing
The character and world of BuddhiGV
Buddhi GV explores a speculative world with a character called BuddhiGV to understand human-brain relationship. It explores the relationship humans have with brain computer interfaces and thereby their brains. The fiction is set in an alternative futuristic reality where advanced creations called Buddhi GVs exist. Buddhi GVs are the forefront of what artificial intelligence and brain computer interfaces could achieve. Buddhi GV or a Jeevi is a personification of a person’s brain, mind and its activity. Fiction is used as tool to understand, speculate and ponder over ethics, politics, philosophies, relationship and social impacts of Brain computer Interfaces.
A kiosk at the brain and mind museum
The project embodies itself as a kiosk placed in the upcoming brain and mind museum of NIMHANS. A user can wear an EEG headset and interact the kiosk to play games. Users can also engage with the repository to obtain quick access to information and experiments. The kiosk also houses small booklets of BuddhiGV stories that can pick up to enjoy a quick read.
Designing visuals and collaterals
Building the Kiosk machine
