Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

Sheridan College’s Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) is proposing to work with partner Interaxon Inc. on the research and development of a guided, procedural meditation experience to be deployed on a wide range of platforms (iOS, Android, etc.) in conjunction with Interaxon’s Muse brain-sensing headband. The meditation experience will provide Interaxon with a platform to collect electroencephalogram (EEG) data to measure brain activity based on users’ audio/visual interactions, which can then be compiled and analyzed using machine learning models to predict user brain states. The experience will be designed so that the range and combination of audio/visual stimuli presented to the user can be precisely controlled to collect the most meaningful biometric data from the users. The meditation experience will provide a compelling experience for existing Muse customers, and the knowledge gained related to the collection of EEG data will be fundamental to Interaxon’s longer term goals to develop Virtual Reality (VR) products that incorporate audio-visual entrainment (AVE), which uses lights and tones to guide brainwave activity to induce relaxation, alleviate stress or pain, and has been found to have a wide range of positive clinical outcomes. The experience will ultimately be delivered as a VR experience for a VR application Interaxon is developing. This project allows SIRT to continue supporting innovative regional technology research, development, and adoption across a wide range of industries.