SRJM.co.uk » GSR

Hunt for GSR Measurement

Simon — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:18:20 +0000

My hunt for circuit schematics has obviously been ongoing for a while but I hadn’t really discovered much worthwhile until lately. Eventually I came across an excellently documented electronics project for producing a polygraph, one measurement of which it is taking is Galvanic Skin Response:

http://courses.cit.cornell.edu/ee476/FinalProjects/s2007/jsc59_ecl37/jsc59_ecl37/report2.html

The Project Model

Simon — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 09:37:43 +0000

Here is a diagram to demonstrate my final year Project concept as an interactive process between the user and a virtual space:

The User

The user will be represented in virtual reality as a sort of hybrid avatar/visualisation, but their digital presence cannot be interacted with by the traditional means such as mouse and keyboard inputs. Instead it will be responsive to their physiological readings while listening to their music and change accordingly to their mood.

This project should be accessible to the average computer user in the sense that anyone can come along and interact with the final interface.

Biofeedback

The measurement of physiological signs in humans has been used for a number of decades mostly for medical reasons.

My project software should be able to take measurements of biofeedback data and respond accordingly.

But first things first, here is an idea of how I might get biofeedback data into the computer in the first place:

Processing and Visualisation

I’d like to think that because Media Player and DirectX are Microsoft products and share a base language of C++ that calling DirectX and 3D things are possible in media player and hence can be distributed widely as a visualisation…

Otherwise I would have to build my own app which wouldn’t be any more difficult, in fact possibly easier, but I don’t think the final solution would be as graceful.

Experimental Analogue Inputs

Simon — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:31:27 +0000

It was suggested that before I go about planning and building a PCB to take biofeedback readings from a person to push as a stream of analogue data into a computer, I should see how easily I can get such information into C++, DirectX and of course eventually media player.

So I’ve got out a USB experimental interface board that somebody gave to me a while ago believing I might find a use for it to well, experiment with! It features two analogue inputs which unfortunately is one less than I would like to use (I’m thinking GSR, pulse rate and temperature here) but it has a demo program that shows how to take inputs from it in both Delphi and Visual Basic, so not too far off C++…

Project – Galvanic Skin Response

Simon — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:17:47 +0000

I downloaded the example Games Module critques and immediately realised that one of them was about a game that has been produced using an interface quite similar to what I want to produce as part of my final Project. The game in question is called Journey to the Wild Divine, and it turns out they use what they call a biofeedback device – which of course opens a new keyword for me to search for.

I’ve already been looking into Galvanic Skin Response and how to produce a PCB that will allow me to take continuous readings from a number of points and feed them into a computer, most likely via USB.

I have already been considering building some form of GSR mouse input device, because it has the advantage of being familiar and one of the most commonly used input devices that people use. On the other hand, the only time people are likely to sit with their hand on a mouse all the time is during a pretty mouse intensive activity, like a 3D first person game and not listening to music.

Links

Journey to the Wild Divine uses a ‘biofeedback device’ to measure how calm the user is:

http://openeeg.sourceforge.net/doc/links-biopsy.html

Project Meeting with Dan

Simon — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:25:15 +0000

Following an initial group meeting with Dan Livingstone up in the Babbage Cafe, I’m a little more reassured that my idea is reasonable. He also outlined a plan of action, involving writing about the following areas:

Start with a field definition.
Identify the key players and best examples, while giving evidence as to why they are.
The innovation or angle behind the project.
Document the technologies that are to be used within the project.
The perspective from which the project should be evaluated.

I also need to take a look at GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) and research methods of reading this sort of data into a computer.