Positive Technology Journal

Re-blogged from Networked Performance

Effects of natural stress relief meditation on trait anxiety: a pilot study.

Psychol Rep. 2007 Aug;101(1):130-4

Authors: Coppola F

Natural Stress Relief meditation, a mental technique which is practiced for 15 minutes twice a day, aims to reduce stress and anxiety by eliciting a specific state of physiological rest along with mental alertness. The meditation is taught in a self-administered program, requiring one hour of training during the first three days, followed by the regular twice daily practice. Each 15-min. session consists in sitting quietly with closed eyes while applying a specific mental procedure. To test the effectiveness of meditation in reducing trait anxiety, Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was administered to 25 participants four times over a 3-wk. period: one week before starting to practice the meditation, a few hours before starting, 1 wk. after, and 2 wk. after. The difference in Trait Anxiety score between pretreatment and before starting the practice was not significant, while it was significant both after the first week of practice (Cohen d=.46) and after the first 2 wk. of practice (d=.67).

Darkness-enhanced startle responses in ecologically valid environments: A virtual tunnel driving experiment.

Biol Psychol. 2007 Sep 14;

Authors: Mühlberger A, Wieser MJ, Pauli P

Using the startle reflex methodology, researchers have shown that darkness, a phylogenetically relevant aversive context for humans, elicits fear responses. The present study replicated these findings in an ecologically valid situation, a virtual tunnel drive. Furthermore, the study focused on the question whether the darkness-enhanced startle response is modulated by an additional task involvement of the participants. Startle responses were assessed during virtual tunnel drives with darker and brighter sections. Participants once actively drove the virtual car and once passively sat in the car as a passenger. We found more negative feelings during darker parts of the virtual tunnel and during active driving. However, facilitated startle reactions in darkness were restricted to passive drives. Furthermore, correlation analyses revealed that darkness-enhanced startle modulation was more pronounced in participants with lower state anxiety. These results extend earlier findings in an experimental paradigm using ecologically valid virtual environments. Further research should use virtual reality paradigms to address context-dependent research questions.

Via Pink Tentacle

Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) researchers have developed an autonomous humanoid robot that can recognize and use body language. According to the press release, the android can use nonverbal communication skills such as gestures and touch to facilitate natural interaction with humans. NICT researchers envision future applications of this technology in robots that can work in the home or assist with rescue operations when disaster strikes.

NICT press release (japanese)

Movement imagery increases pain in people with neuropathic pain following complete thoracic spinal cord injury.

Pain. 2007 Oct 15;

Authors: Gustin SM, Wrigley PJ, Gandevia SC, Middleton JW, Henderson LA, Siddall PJ

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in deafferentation and the onset of neuropathic pain in a substantial proportion of people. Based on evidence suggesting motor cortex activation results in attenuation of neuropathic pain, we sought to determine whether neuropathic SCI pain could be modified by imagined movements of the foot. Fifteen subjects with a complete thoracic SCI (7 with below-level neuropathic pain and 8 without pain) were instructed in the use of movement imagery. Movement imagery was practiced three times daily for 7days. On the eighth day, subjects performed the movement imagery in the laboratory and recorded pain ratings during the period of imagined movement. Six out of 7 subjects with neuropathic pain reported an increase in pain during imagined movements from 2.9+/-0.7 during baseline to 5.0+/-1.0 during movement imagery (p<0.01). In SCI subjects without neuropathic pain, movement imagery evoked an increase in non-painful sensation intensity from a baseline of 1.9+/-0.7 to 4.8+/-1.3 during the movement imagery (p<0.01). Two subjects without a history of pain or non-painful phantom sensations had onset of dysesthesia while performing imagined movements. This study reports exacerbation of pain in response to imagined movements and it contrasts with reports of reduction pain in people with peripheral neuropathic pain. The potential mechanisms underlying this sensory enhancement with movement imagery are discussed.

The Boston Globe has an article by Scott Kirsner about the next generation of prosthetic limbs under development at DARPA

From the article: 

A new application called AjaxLife allows browser-based interaction with the online virtual world SecondLife.

Using AjaxLife, users do not need a video card and a graphical client to connect to the SecondLife world. However, the AjaxLife client supports only limited functions, such as in-game chatting, teleporting to various locations and checking the status of the user's inventory, friends and Linden Dollars, and there is no representation of in-game avatars.

The web application was developed by Katharine Barry, a fifteen (!) year old English schoolgirl.

fMRI Analysis of Neural Mechanisms Underlying Rehabilitation in Virtual Reality: Activating Secondary Motor Areas.

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;1:3692-3695

Authors: August K, Lewis JA, Chandar G, Merians A, Biswal B, Adamovich S

A pilot functional MRI study on a control subject investigated the possibility of inducing increased neural activations in primary, as well as secondary motor areas through virtual reality-based exercises of the hand. These areas are known to be important in effective motor output in stroke patients with impaired corticospinal systems. We found increased activations in these brain areas during hand exercises in VR when compared to vision of non-anthropomorphic shapes. Further studies are needed to investigate the potential of virtual reality-based rehabilitation for tapping into the properties of the mirror neuron system to stimulate plasticity in sensorimotor areas.

A Low Cost Human Computer Interface based on Eye Tracking.

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;1:3226-3229

Authors: Hiley JB, Redekopp AH, Fazel-Rezai R

This paper describes the implementation of a human computer interface based on eye tracking. Current commercially available systems exist, but have limited use due mainly to their large cost. The system described in this paper was designed to be a low cost and unobtrusive. The technique was video-oculography assisted by corneal reflections. An off-the shelf CCD webcam was used to capture images. The images were analyzed in software to extract key features of the eye. The users gaze point was then calculated based on the relative position of these features. The system is capable of calculating eye-gaze in real-time to provide a responsive interaction. A throughput of eight gaze points per second was achieved. The accuracy of the fixations based on the calculated eye-gazes were within 1 cm of the on-screen gaze location. By developing a low-cost system, this technology is made accessible to a wider range of applications.

Re-blogged from Information Aesthetics

My Map is a data visualization application capable of rendering the relationships between the user & individuals in the address book by examining the TO:, FROM:, and CC: fields of every email in the 60,000-large email archive.

the intensity of the relationship is determined by the color intensity of the line. "My Map" allows to explore different relational groupings & periods of time, revealing the temporal ebbs & flows in various relationships. My Map thus becomes a veritable self-portrait, a visual reflection of personal associations.

 

link: christopherbaker.net

Via Networked Performance

At the core of the fundamental questions of “what is art” and “what is technology” we focus The Handbook of Research on computational Arts and Creative Informatics at the convergence of computer science and artistic creativity. We seek to discover new ways to conceptualize art and investigate new methods of self expression through the use of technology. Here we are inviting experts in a wide range of disciplines to discuss the emergence of expression and art through that of science, information technology, computer science, artificial intelligence and many other related fields. We see this book as a comprehensive recourse where artists and scientists can collaborate on ideas, practices and experimentations on these topics. As technology becomes meshed further into our culture and everyday lives, new mediums and outlets for creative expression and innovation are abound. We are emphasizing the creative nature of technology and science itself. How does the human side of technological achievement influence our creative abilities as technology is a creation in itself? Has the ontology of the information age influenced society at the level of both the human and non human? Through this handbook we are addressing novel concepts from creation, interaction, communication, interpretation and emergence of art through various technological means and mediums.

The Handbook of Research on computational Arts and Creative Informatics will provide a comprehensive range of topics regarding the interaction of the sciences and the arts. Key concepts, theories and innovations involving the computational side of the arts and other creative technologies will be discussed. This particular volume will feature chapters (8,000-10,000 words) written by experts and leading innovators of their respective fields.

Recommended topics include, **but are not limited to**, the following:

+Essays and Discussion on Art and Technology
+Art and web design
+Fractals, tessellations and Creativity through mathematical expression
+Interactive and computational sculptures and artworks
+Kinetic sculptures
+Creativity as an emergent property of art and science
+Digital art and creative expressions
+The creative process in IT education
+Art created by Artificial Life and Intelligent Agents
+Creativity in computer interface and web design
+Creativity from emergent properties
+Art expressed or created by multi-agent systems
+Virtual spaces and Art of synthetic/ virtual worlds
+Art and expression through information visualization
+Animation, simulation and modeling
+3-D artwork
+Art for the blind and visually impaired- Universal Creativity
+Human expression through cybernetics
+Robotics and Art
+Future trends in Art as influenced by emerging technologies

Submissions: Interested individuals are invited to submit a 1-2 page manuscript on their proposed chapter by November 15, 2007. We encourage the inclusion of related topics not mentioned above that may be related to both the theme of the handbook and your particular research area or expertise. Upon acceptance of your proposal, you will have until February 28, 2008 to submit a completed draft of your chapter.

A set of guidelines will also be sent to you upon acceptance. Each potential author will receive notification on their acceptance status by November 30, 2007.

Via AATP Interactive 

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh are investigating psychosocial stress exposure during the course of daily life using an instrument called eWatch, a multisensor package about the size of a large wristwatch. The eWatch can sense sound, motion, ambient light, skin temperature and other factors that provide clues about the wearer’s location, health status and current activity. 

From the news release: 

Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Oct 11;

Authors: Tang YY, Ma Y, Wang J, Fan Y, Feng S, Lu Q, Yu Q, Sui D, Rothbart MK, Fan M, Posner MI

Recent studies suggest that months to years of intensive and systematic meditation training can improve attention. However, the lengthy training required has made it difficult to use random assignment of participants to conditions to confirm these findings. This article shows that a group randomly assigned to 5 days of meditation practice with the integrative body-mind training method shows significantly better attention and control of stress than a similarly chosen control group given relaxation training. The training method comes from traditional Chinese medicine and incorporates aspects of other meditation and mindfulness training. Compared with the control group, the experimental group of 40 undergraduate Chinese students given 5 days of 20-min integrative training showed greater improvement in conflict scores on the Attention Network Test, lower anxiety, depression, anger, and fatigue, and higher vigor on the Profile of Mood States scale, a significant decrease in stress-related cortisol, and an increase in immunoreactivity. These results provide a convenient method for studying the influence of meditation training by using experimental and control methods similar to those used to test drugs or other interventions.

A brain-computer interface with vibrotactile biofeedback for haptic information.

J Neuroengineering Rehabil. 2007 Oct 17;4(1):40

Authors: Chatterjee A, Aggarwal V, Ramos A, Acharya S, Thakor NV

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) may one day be suitable for controlling a neuroprosthesis. For closed-loop operation of BCI, a tactile feedback channel that is compatible with neuroprosthetic applications is desired. Operation of an EEG-based BCI using only vibrotactile feedback, a commonly used method to convey haptic senses of contact and pressure, is demonstrated with a high level of accuracy. METHODS: A Mu-rhythm based BCI using a motor imagery paradigm was used to control the position of a virtual cursor. The cursor position was shown visually as well as transmitted haptically by modulating the intensity of a vibrotactile stimulus to the upper limb. A total of six subjects operated the BCI in a two-stage targeting task, receiving only vibrotactile biofeedback of performance. The location of the vibration was also systematically varied between the left and right arms to investigate location-dependent effects on performance. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Subjects are able to control the BCI using only vibrotactile feedback with an average accuracy of 56% and as high as 72%. These accuracies are significantly higher than the 15% predicted by random chance if the subject had no voluntary control of their Mu-rhythm. The results of this study demonstrate that vibrotactile feedback is an effective biofeedback modality to operate a BCI using motor imagery. In addition, the study shows that placement of the vibrotactile stimulation on the biceps ipsilateral or contralateral to the motor imagery introduces a significant bias in the BCI accuracy. This bias is consistent with a drop in performance generated by stimulation of the contralateral limb. Users demonstrated the capability to overcome this bias with training.

Novel Design of Interactive Multimodal Biofeedback System for Neurorehabilitation.

Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;1:4925-4928

Authors: Huang H, Chen Y, Xu W, Sundaram H, Olson L, Ingalls T, Rikakis T, He J

A previous design of a biofeedback system for Neurorehabilitation in an interactive multimodal environment has demonstrated the potential of engaging stroke patients in task-oriented neuromotor rehabilitation. This report explores the new concept and alternative designs of multimedia based biofeedback systems. In this system, the new interactive multimodal environment was constructed with abstract presentation of movement parameters. Scenery images or pictures and their clarity and orientation are used to reflect the arm movement and relative position to the target instead of the animated arm. The multiple biofeedback parameters were classified into different hierarchical levels w.r.t. importance of each movement parameter to performance. A new quantified measurement for these parameters were developed to assess the patient's performance both real-time and offline. These parameters were represented by combined visual and auditory presentations with various distinct music instruments. Overall, the objective of newly designed system is to explore what information and how to feedback information in interactive virtual environment could enhance the sensorimotor integration that may facilitate the efficient design and application of virtual environment based therapeutic intervention.

Via NewScientist Tech

Microsoft plans to use EEG signals for task classification and activity recognition of users. The software giant has applied a new patent for a method that will allow to separate useful cognitive information from EEG artifacts and noise.

Read the full Microsoft mind reading patent application

An article recently appeared in Time magazine reports about Smart Ambience Therapy (SAT), a series of interactive technology programs designed by Horace Ho-Shing Ip to help children overcome the effects of abuse.

From the article: