Behind the Brain Blinker

The Bio-Sensing Primer in MAKE Volume 26 opens up the world of human body hacking, pulling together new information and sensor recommendations for detecting brain activity, eye movements, facial expression, muscle activity, respiration, heart rate, blood oxygen level, and more. The article also gives full details on how to build a simple “Truth Meter” that measures stress via skin conductance, and a “Brain Blinker” project, in which an Arduino microcontroller runs LEDs following the signal input from a NeuroSky MindSet, a $200 wireless headset that reads your brainwaves.

For the article, authors Sean Montgomery and Ira Laefsky got NeuroSky to help write an Arduino library for the MindSet, explaining that makers are a good market for their product, and a free source of ideas and R&D. Since then, NeuroSky has also released an Arduino library for their newer MindWave headset, which costs just $100. Good for them! Other manufacturers would do well to follow NeuroSky’s example. MAKE is proud to have helped instigate this. May a whole new category of brainwave-enabled applications bloom!

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MAKE Volume 26: Karts & Wheels
Garage go-kart building is a time-honored tradition for DIYers, In this issue of MAKE, we’ll show you how to build wheeled wonders that’ll have you and the kids racing around the neighborhood in epic DIY style. Build a longboard skateboard by bending plywood and build a crazy go-kart driven by a pair of battery-powered drills. Put a mini gasoline engine on a bicycle. And construct an amazing wind-powered cart that can outrun a tailwind. Plus you’ll learn how to build the winning vehicle from our online Karts and Wheels contest! In addition to karts, you’ll find plenty of other projects that only MAKE can offer!

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