This exploratory research project aims to observe and augment the learning experiences of children through non-intrusive acquisition, on-line analysis and interpretation of their brain dynamics. Current systems for recording high-resolution encephalogram (EEG) dynamical brain activity are not suitable for this purpose because they distract the children and constrain their mobility by excessive wiring between electrodes and computer. Existing methods are also not useful because of unreliable contact between electrodes and scalp during body motion. This two-year project specifically entails the design and implementation of a low-weight wearable, wireless EEG recording system with 128 embedded non-contact electrodes. This will include supporting software for real-time analysis and display of brain dynamics on a host computer. The research will give rise to new methods for non-intrusive acquisition and on-line interpretation of brain dynamics, and open up new research directions not possible using existing methods. The project supports inter-disciplinary graduate research combining biophysics of EEG, engineering of non-contact and wireless sensors, independent component analysis, cognitive neuroscience, and the temporal dynamics of learning.
Outcomes of this research will contribute to the broader understanding of brain function at a level combining cognitive neuroscience and social dynamics. A diverse and interdisciplinary body of students at the NSF Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center (TDLC) and the Institute of Neural Computation at UCSD will take part in applying the instrumentation to learning research in the biological, cognitive and social sciences. The wireless EEG infra-structure also significantly enhances the mobility of EEG recording in existing motion-capture facilities at TDLC, allowing the study of learning in dynamic environments with freely interacting subjects. The project will further benefit from outreach channels supported by the TDLC, including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Hughes Scholar Program (HSP), and the Preuss High School at UCSD.
