Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
10.10 Concluding Discussion
BCMI research has come a long way in recent years. Meaning in EEG is becoming
more understood and easier to detect, as the necessary technologies and computer
processing speeds have allowed. However, dif
culties in retrieving useful EEG data
still remain and pose signi
cant problems for systems intended to be used outside of
the laboratory. Signal interference from external sources, unpredictable EEG
information, and noise from other physiological input are issues widely reported in
BCMI research. These factors affect the stability and performance of a system and
need to be taken into account when designing and testing a BCMI.
The progress in BCMI research has brought us to a very healthy and pivotal
stage. We
find ourselves in a climate where constructing a BCMI has become a
relatively simple and affordable task. New systems of
finite control have provided a
strong foundation for integrating BCMIs within wider areas of musical composition
and performance, perhaps realised through musical collaborations or interactions
with live, external sources, such as dance, acoustic music or other forms of media.
Wider research into neurofeedback is also possible through assessing the affects of
multiple users of a single BCMI, or multiple BCMIs being played together. Now
that the appropriate tools are available, we anticipate an increase in research activity
across a wider playing
field, with a particular emphasis on compositional integra-
tion. We are slowly beginning to see brainwave control creep into everyday tech
culture, and as in all successful interdisciplinary areas, we expect it to be prominent
in all of the clinical, therapeutic and recreational interpretations of what a BCMI is.
Events bringing researchers and practitioners together have produced fruitful
experiments in the past, as evident in programs such as eNTERFACE (Arslan et al.
2006
; Benovoy et al.
2007
). In the current climate of expansion in BCMI research,
the dissemination of ideas and collaboration between practitioners linking BCMI
research and related areas together is an opportunity to be embraced to further
accelerate work in this
field and should not be ignored.
It can still be argued that more meaning within EEG is needed, not only in BCMI
research but also in our overall understanding of the brain. As we have seen,
meaning leads to control and in turn complexity, and advances in this offer exciting
prospects. One area of research that promises to widen the scope of interpreting
meaning in EEG is the study of emotional responses in brain activity, and evolving
research in this
field is already uncovering very direct links with emotional
responses and music (Crowley et al.
2010
; Kirke and Miranda
2011
).
The use of modern BCMI systems for performance in concert settings has
marked the arrival of more accessible, responsive and sophisticated platforms for
designing and building successful BCMI systems, bringing brainwave control and
music full circle. In place of Lucier
'
s percussive instruments are dynamic scores
and complex musical engines. And instead of bursts of alpha activity there are
layers of sophisticated EEG control on offer. The importance of considering
mapping strategies in the development of BCMI systems can be traced all the way
back to Alvin Lucier and his
Music for Solo Performer
, an interface that offered
