BrainiBEAT

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This project was created during the NTX 22 hackathon

PROBLEM

Between 10 and 30% of adults struggle with chronic insomnia

80% of people who take sleep medication experience adverse effects such as drowsiness, concentration difficulty and memory deficits

Meditation is an alternative that may provide significant improvement of sleep quality

SOLUTION

Live feed of custom 'Brain Music' to induce a meditative state with a Biofeedback element

We added a Dual Brain functionality to explore synchrony and create more complex soundscapes with a partner

SYSTEM

We translated online EEG data into live music using Fechner's law. In other words, according to the amplitude of the EEG signal, we modified the pitch corresponding to notes. We also added a metric for emotional valence (frontal alpha-asymmetry), that slightly modifies the pitch as well

After determining the pitch of the first note, an interval (1-12, according to music theory) was created based on a metric of synchrony. There were two options: 1) interbrain (symmetry between two hemispheres) and 2) intrabrain (symmetry between two participants' brain). Phase lock value (PLV) was used to determine the angle between the two phases.

If the two brains/ brain regions were in sync, the interval was a consonant/well sounding interval. The more the difference in the synchrony was, the more dissonant the interval would be.