MUSE YOU CAN USE: HOW THE DEVICE WORKS
Catching the brain’s waves EEG sensors in the headband measure the electrical activity of the brain. A free downloadable app compatible with an iPhone or Android device connects to the headband. A recorded voice on the app guides users through meditation. The sound of wind and waves from the app becomes louder the less relaxed you are. Chirping bird sounds reward you for reaching a calm state, and there are scores that rate your overall calmness during sessions.
What would Elvis do? Retired Canadian Olympic figure skater Elvis Stojko uses Muse. “When you’re doing meditation, there are still times you get distracted because you’re trying to find a place where it’s quiet, to not focus on anything and control your mind,” the 43-year-old says from Virginia, where he is skating professionally in a show. “This (device) helps with trying to zone in and (find) that sweet spot . . .” Stojko is in talks with InteraXon about a possible promotional agreement.
Muse in research Research institutions are turning to Muse for data on brain activity. In a report released this summer, Baycrest Health Sciences, along with the University of Toronto and industry partners, described a large art-science display at Toronto’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche in 2013 based on electrical brain signals from 500 adults who wore Muse. The study’s authors say the experiment allowed researchers to study brains in a “social and multi-sensory environment,” which traditional laboratories studying the cognitive functions of one person can’t do.