This is a test blog, so I can activate the category.
The BMS lab will host the Brain Computer Interface testing ground
Over the past decades we have witnessed major developments in not just the machines that drive the world, but also in the ways we interact with them. Increasingly intuitive and quick interfaces have added to the ease and speed with which we have control over machines and computers alike. Computer interfaces like mouses and the more recent touchscreens have revolutionized human interactions with computers in their own way. The future promises ever more direct ways of interfacing between humans and computers. The next revolution is currently being developed at the University of Twente together with our partners at Artinis Medical Systems, Noldus Information Technology, Thales and VidiNexus.
The next step in interfacing technology
In the coming years the University of Twente will work with her partners on the development of so called “Brain Computer Interfaces”. In short, this means that they develop ways to control a machine or computer by thought (brain signal) alone. The University of Twente will work together with companies specialized in sensor technology (Artinis), sensor integration and data processing (Noldus) and application developent (VidiNexus and Thales). The work will focus on both the development of the technologies and the application of the technologies. This will all happen right here at the BMS lab.
The BMS lab as home for Brain Computer Interface development
The BMS lab will host a testing and proving ground for applications of Brain Computer Interfaces. In this testing ground the partnership will work on the development of applications for such an interface and the technology required to both sense and utilize the brain signals. Key in this development process is the application of these technologies in fields with practical value for companies and professionals. This can range from the interaction with high workload and intensity computer systems, adapting screens and billboards to the viewer’s available mental energy and teamwork in command-and-control environments. Technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence are expected to be key in the application of Brain Computer Interfaces. The lab spaces and expertise of the BMS lab will be used for a variety of studies and applications over the coming years for these applications. With it the lab aims to contribute to the economy and development of the Eastern Netherlands.
Want to know more?
Have you become interested in the developments in this field and at the University of Twente? Or, do you have questions about this research project? Then please contact the University of Twente’s press department.
Francesco’s street-crossing-safety-slider presented during the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
In traffic, humans communicate with all different kinds of signals, nods, winks and shouts what they are doing and what they want others to do. Annoying as that might sometimes be, it is also quite critical for other road users. How does one otherwise interpret if they have been seen by a driver or if an oncoming car will let them cross the road safely? Automated and self-driving vehicles, of course, miss the ability to communicate by default. Thus, new ways of creating clear and meaningful interactions between cars and humans need to be designed. At the forefront of these developments is our own Francesco Walker, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Twente’s BMS faculty. He worked with Debargha Dey, a Ph.D candidate at the Eindhoven University of Technology, on this project. Together with their colleagues, they developed the feeling-of-safety slider. This slider was presented during the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in early May.
Francesco Walker (UTwente), Debargha Dey (TU Eindhoven), and their colleagues studied how humans interact with oncoming traffic when a street needed to be crossed. In their paper, referenced below, they described the inadequacies of options like buttons or toggles. These options allowed little or no immediate input as to how safe the participants felt crossing the street. As a result, Francesco and colleagues designed and built a slider (see images above and below) together with the BMS lab that allowed participants to instinctively grasp and input how safe they felt crossing the street was. As they worked with the BMS lab on developing the slider, they found that a slider is instinctively understood and clear. After all, the limits are constant and clear to both touch and vision and degrees of confidence can easily be indicated on an intuitive scale. Since then, they have successfully deployed the slider in their studies. The slider was presented together with their methodology and some initial findings during the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in early May.
A clear image of the slider itself. 
The insides of the slider 
A car approaching during the experiment
Their paper can be found using the following reference:
Walker, F., Dey, D., Martens, M., Pfleging, B., Eggen, B., & Terken, J. (2019, April). Feeling-of-Safety Slider: Measuring Pedestrian Willingness to Cross Roads in Field Interactions with Vehicles. In Extended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (p. LBW0242). ACM
Carolina Herrando’s work is part of the NeuroPsychoEconomics Conference in June
As the BMS lab, we often aid both students and researchers from around and even outside the University of Twente with their research. These research projects often result in interesting studies and surprising findings. Today we’re very happy to announce that one of the studies run by Ph.D.candidate Carolina Herrando of the University of Twente’s BMS faculty is included in the upcoming NeuroPsychoEconomics Conference in June.
Together with Julio Jiménez-Martínez, María José Martín De Hoyos, Efthymios Constantinides, Jan-Willem Van ‘t Klooster, and Peter Slijkhuis, she studied if and how the emotional valence or load carried by online consumer reviews affect the reader’s state of mind. How this might lead to states of mind like boredom, anxiety or apathy. To make this possible they designed and performed two experiments. In the first experiment, they used the BMS lab’s equipment to measure heart rate variability and the galvanic skin response. Both the heart rate variability and electrical skin resistance are linked to anxiety, excitement, and stress. The second experiment featured the addition of an Electroencephalography (EEG) recording that enabled them to measure brain activity in the selected areas. This ensured they had a good picture of the psychophysiological responses the participants underwent during the experiment.
At the moment they are in the process of analyzing their data. They aim to present their findings coming June during the NeuroPsychoEconomics Conference in Rome.
We are proud of their work and wish them the best of luck during the upcoming conference.
A Virtual Reality App to get rid of the fear of heights
Professor Jean-Louis van Gelder of the department of the Psychology of Conflict, Risk and Safety from the University of Twente was in the news recently. In a cooperation with the Vrije Universiteit van Amsterdam, he developed a Virtual Reality Application for smartphones that allow those that suffer from the fear of heights to be exposed to their fear in a controlled environment and without the risk of harm. It feels and plays like a game and in the process of using the app, the patient will reduce and lose their fear. Watch the video below to learn more. You can try the app yourself by installing it on your Android or IOS device.
New multicamera pc control in Transparent!
Today we installed a new multicamera pc control room for observation with dedicated encoding into the BMSLAB! This room also has a one-way mirror, and is thus perfect for research involving observations! Interested in conducting your research here? Feel free to contact us!
BMS LAB Projects #1
Hereby we open our series in which we introduce projects featuring the BMSLAB! We start with the Vigilant Brain. Denny Sasonko, a Master Student of Human Factors and Engineering Psychology at the UT, just finished his research project in which he focused on vigilant attention. While reacting to an emerging stimulus, the EEG recorded the brain activity of participants when they made mistakes. The BMS Lab provided facilities, assistance, and Electroencephalogram recording equipment.
More on the research in the video above.
BMS LAB Grand Opening
The BMS LAB had its official Grand Opening on April 19th, 2018. Ellen Giebels opened the event with a moving speech about the process behind the creation of the BMS LAB. Followed by Thomas van Rompaij and Annalisa Pelizza who talked about various projects supported by the BMS LAB. Afterwards, Luc Schoot Uiterkamp a Master Student at the UT shared his experiences. The Lab was then officially opened by Victor van der Chijs and Ellen when the drone cut the chord.
Check all the opening photos here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/C4j1ISMGD2hidb4j2
KAIST University Visit
Daniel Saakes from South Korea’s KAIST University came to visit the BMS LAB University of Twente today. Together we support the Communication Sciences educational Module from Thomas van Rompay, which starts Feb2018. #VR #SocialSciences #kaist #Utwente #bmslab #education #sensors
BMS LAB VR supermarket for social sciences by Kim Vissers!
Check our new video of the VR supermarket by Kim Vissers, combining VR, leap motion and Cyberith virtualizer treadmill for social sciences!
