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Muse: the brain sensing headband

choosemuse.com

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Re: Muse: the brain sensing headband

#31

Post by ehurrell »

Killah911 wrote: post #13

A $300 consumer product that promises to help one be more "mindful" & "present" more "efficiently" than plain old meditation. What is sad is the irony in all of this. What's sadder is that I want to buy it... Might be brilliant on their part. Corporate consultant gurus are making quite a nickel telling execs to be more "mindful" & "present". Might be an opportune time to break into the market and displace some spirit…

Having done some small experiments with EEG I'm wary of these consumer devices (have seen 'performance improving' gaming gear too), mostly work with muscles etc. This doesn't claim EEG that I can see though so... who knows? (EDIT: just saw EEG details, if they can get a clean signal without using conductive gel fair play to them, I would love to hear how because that is an achievement!)

As an aside a friend once described capitalism as 'viral' in that everything can be looked at through its eyes, packaged and sold, and that's why it can be so hard to change, even radical movements to disrupt it are packaged and sold, think Che Guevara t-shirts. It's fascinating to see.

Re: Muse: the brain sensing headband

#36

Post by meowface »

icelancer wrote: post #21
curiousDog wrote: post #20

Ahh, was hoping it was a device that delivered minimal tDCS. Does such a device exist? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_direct-current_sti...

http://www.foc.us/ Foc.us does. I have one. Works well. EDIT: Downvoted for providing a link? I don't work for Foc.us or anything.

This sounds very interesting.

I understand this has been approved as "safe", and I doubt it would ever lead to death or harm, but I wonder what the long term effects of frequent brain stimulation could be. It could be good effects, but it could also be bad. I don't believe any longitudinal study has been done on something like this.

How do you feel while you're using it?

Re: Muse: the brain sensing headband

#37

Post by icelancer »

meowface wrote: post #36
icelancer wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://www.foc.us/ Foc.us does. I have one. Works well. EDIT: Downvoted for providing a link? I don't work for Foc.us or anything.

This sounds very interesting. I understand this has been approved as "safe", and I doubt it would ever lead to death or harm, but I wonder what the long term effects of frequent brain stimulation could be. It could be good effects, but it could also be bad. I don't believe any longitudinal study has been done on something like this. How do you feel while you're using it?

It doesn't seem to produce any acute effects. The research I've read before buying this seems to indicate it's a chronic effect over time. Unfortunately I don't have the patience to really do a sham/active test cycle, so I've been just alternating pulse/continuous/random cycles 3-4 times per week, 10-20 minutes per session.

Anecdotally it seems to work well. My major reason for investing into tDCS was to improve working memory, as I strongly believe I was rapidly deteriorating in that realm despite near-abstinence from alcohol and other drugs. In that regard, it seems to work well, but it could easily be a placebo effect from wearing a cool helmet.

If I had to guess I'd say I'm 75% confident that foc.us has had a material positive effect on my working memory and cognitive functions. I can't say I am 90-95% confident and I'm not sure I ever will be, since doing a rigorous test is near impossible without a partner controlling the sham effects, and even then it's for personal use and not a research study so to speak.

Not sure I would enthusiastically recommend it but the research out there points in a solid - if not dramatic - direction.

Re: Muse: the brain sensing headband

#39

Post by waps »

I wonder when the first real such product will exist. Like any system that synchronizes by waves it can be modified by waves, probably much more than you'd be able to do through chemicals.

So who will make the first heroine headband ? It will probably need outputs as well as inputs though.

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