Music of the Mind: The Experience Helmet

BY MATT WILLIAMS | 3 min read

Electroencephalography has come a long way in recent years. From bulky headsets studded with sensors and wires, the technology behind measuring a person's brainwaves is becoming smaller and more specialized. And the list of applications is growing accordingly, ranging from improved medical testing and personal brain scanners to devices that allow people to record and "hack" their own brain activity.

One such device is the Experience Helmet, a device that allows a real-time interface between the human mind and sound synthesis. Designed by Aiste Noreikaite - a London-based artist, pianist and graduate in sound arts and design - the helmet measures the user's brainwaves and then translates them into sound, allowing the wearer to hear how their brain works and enhance their self-awareness.

Or, as Aiste puts it, to create an "audible reflection of one’s personal experience of the present moment."

Brainwave information is received through a NeuroSky EEG headset that is placed inside the helmet. This sensor reads the user’s natural bio-signals and outputs them as a power spectrum of alpha, beta, theta and delta waves, along with eSense meters that measure attention and meditation. These signals are then used as control messages to create pure sine waves that reflect the person's mental state in the form of sound.

Noreikaite listening to her own thoughts on the streets of London. Credit: aistenoreikaite.com

In addition, these sounds are configured to produce 10Hz binaural beats that enhance the user's alpha brainwave pattern, which in turn boosts the wearer's perception of sensation and internal awareness. So not only will a wearer be listening to the tune of their own brainwaves; the very act of doing so will enhance their sense of calm and promote a greater feeling of well-being (which can only lead to a more pleasant soundtrack).

The idea of using binaural beats to achieve psychological effects certainly has scientific a precedent. In the 1800's, Prussian physicist Heinrich Wilhelm Dove began researching how sounds played in the listener's ears at different frequencies could effect their state of mind. His research indicated that while listening to these beats, the human brain responds with subtle pulsations that can create a meditative state of mind.

Noreikaite’s helmet is somewhat different, in that it is more geared towards focusing attention inward by blocking the outside world and making the wearer become aware of their own internal rhythms. However, conscious of the binaural beats methodology, Noreikaite programmed the right and left headphones in the helmet to play at slightly different frequencies to have the same effect.

In a way, the process sounds like meditation, which is not surprising at all since Noreikaite was inspired by Buddhist meditation to invent a device to tap into self-awareness. And as one writer suggested, "she may have also been inspired by Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance since she built the device using a motorcycle helmet."

The Helmet lets someone create an "audible reflection of one’s personal experience of the present moment." Credit: aistenoreikaite.com

Naturally, the idea of reading brainwaves and the notion of inducing a meditative state, might make some people nervous. But as Noreikaite explained in a recent article by Wired, the process is a minimally-invasive way for people to hack their own neurology. “It’s not like all of a sudden it’s an orchestral piece, or a piano piece," she said. "It’s all quite minimal and electronic. When your brainwaves hear the sounds controlled by them, they’re balanced by it, it’s balancing.”

Beyond providing an interesting and auditorily pleasing experience, the helmet has potential applications as a research tool for studying how the brain works. According to Noreikaite's website, the helmet can be used "as a tool to get to know the executive control system of the mind or as a ‘soundtrack’ to different experiences that are gained while wearing the helmet."

Such a device could also see plenty of use as a stress-relief and meditation tool, combining music and relaxation in a single application. With the addition of a display that is similarly synced with the EEG, users could also be treated to colorful representations of their brainwaves as they listen to calming music. Or perhaps the display could show images of pastoral landscapes or pre-selected backdrops.

Meditation could then go from people listening to the sound of their own breathing and imagining their "happy places" to being able to actually see them and listening instead to the soundtrack of their brains. Yes, there's definitely a commercial market for that!

And be sure to check out Aiste Noreikaite's video of people trying on her Experience Helmet at the Hotel Elephant Gallery London 2014:

Top image: aistenoreikaite.com

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