Computational Music Biofeedback for Stress Relief

The purpose of our project is to use EEG technology to combat stress in our daily lives. One of the most accessible EEG technologies that targets this challenge is the Muse headband, a wearable device that pairs with a phone application to help users train their brains to relax. The applications main goal is to help users train their brain to be more relaxed by monitoring and reporting their levels of stress. However, one of the shortcomings we noticed is that the constant notifications of how stressed we are actually adds to the level of stress as opposed to helping train our brains towards a more relaxed state. In order to improve this solution, our program uses the live brain waves transmitted by the Muse headband and feedforward techniques to not only track brain users activity, but also help the user move towards a more relaxed state using music and binaural beats. While we werent able to test the system on an unbiased population due to time constraints, preliminary exploration on ourselves on both short term and longer term sessions shows that longer uses of our system led to more a relaxed state

A comparison of processing techniques for producing prototype injection moulding inserts.

This project involves the investigation of processing techniques for producing low-cost moulding inserts used in the particulate injection moulding (PIM) process. Prototype moulds were made from both additive and subtractive processes as well as a combination of the two. The general motivation for this was to reduce the entry cost of users when considering PIM. PIM cavity inserts were first made by conventional machining from a polymer block using the pocket NC desktop mill. PIM cavity inserts were also made by fused filament deposition modelling using the Tiertime UP plus 3D printer. The injection moulding trials manifested in surface finish and part removal defects. The feedstock was a titanium metal blend which is brittle in comparison to commodity polymers. That in combination with the mesoscale features, small cross-sections and complex geometries were considered the main problems. For both processing methods, fixes were identified and made to test the theory. These consisted of a blended approach that saw a combination of both the additive and subtractive processes being used. The parts produced from the three processing methods are investigated and their respective merits and issues are discussed

Inhibitive effect of ferrous gluconate on the electrochemical corrosion of aluminium alloy in H2SO4 solution

The use of ferrous gluconate as corrosion inhibitor on aluminium alloy in 0.5M H2SO4 solution was studied using gravimetric and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. The surface morphology of the aluminium alloy was studied after exposure to 0.5 M H2SO4 solution in the presence and absence of inhibitor using high resolution scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (HRSEM – EDS). The adsorption behaviour of the inhibitor was investigated. The results of the investigation show that increase in concentration of ferrous gluconate corresponds to an improvement on inhibition efficiency. Equally, the results showed the ferrous gluconate to be an effective corrosion inhibitor for the aluminium in the acidic medium. The results obtained from the two methods used were found to correlate with each other

Health Figures: An Open Source JavaScript Library for Health Data Visualization

The way we look at data has a great impact on how we can understand it, particularly when the data is related to health and wellness. Due to the increased use of self-tracking devices and the ongoing shift towards preventive medicine, better understanding of our health data is an important part of improving the general welfare of the citizens. Electronic Health Records, self-tracking devices and mobile applications provide a rich variety of data but it often becomes difficult to understand. We implemented the hFigures library inspired on the hGraph visualization with additional improvements. The purpose of the library is to provide a visual representation of the evolution of health measurements in a complete and useful manner. We researched the usefulness and usability of the library by building an application for health data visualization in a health coaching program. We performed a user evaluation with Heuristic Evaluation, Controlled User Testing and Usability Questionnaires. In the Heuristics Evaluation the average response was 6.3 out of 7 points and the Cognitive Walkthrough done by usability experts indicated no design or mismatch errors. In the CSUQ usability test the system obtained an average score of 6.13 out of 7, and in the ASQ usability test the overall satisfaction score was 6.64 out of 7. We developed hFigures, an open source library for visualizing a complete, accurate and normalized graphical representation of health data. The idea is based on the concept of the hGraph but it provides additional key features, including a comparison of multiple health measurements over time. We conducted a usability evaluation of the library as a key component of an application for health and wellness monitoring. The results indicate that the data visualization library was helpful in assisting users in understanding health data and its evolution over time.Comment: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making 16.1 (2016