Imec, the world-leading research and innovation hub in nano-electronics and digital technology, joins the VR Days 2018, Europe’s largest event in virtual reality from October 24-26 in Amsterdam. The event facilitates an exhibition, conference and expert sessions. At the exhibition imec will demonstrate its latest innovations in healthcare. Visitors can experience two demos: a new prototype that merges EEG technology and Virtual Reality; and imec’s fast-eye-tracking glasses. Moreover, Alessio Meroni, responsible for VR and optic technologies at imec in the Netherlands, will give a talk at the event’s TechStage on 26thof October.
Merging EEG and VR in one headset
Imec’s new EEG & VR prototype combines imec’s wireless EEG headset with dry electrodes and a standard off-the-shelf VR goggles. The system can give feedback to the wearer about his emotional state while playing a virtual reality game. To realize the system, imec researchers optimized the EEG headset design for being mounted on conventional VR goggles and added electrodes in the occipital region of the brain, closely related to visual processing.
Monitoring brain response in addition to visual observation of physical and mental responses could be an interesting next step to personalized cognitive VR therapy. The EEG/VR headset is specifically built for European pilots (TWB) in research for behavioral therapies and treatments for children with ADHD and anxiety disorders.
The team of imec in the Netherlands also developed algorithms to evaluate signal quality and handle artifacts caused by motion, talking and chewing. These algorithms, based on machine learning, are also used to interpret the EEG signals and estimate the user’s emotional state. Alessio Meroni, project leader at imec the Netherlands: “Our wearable technologies have lots of potential in a wide variety of use cases and we partner with companies and institutes all over the world to advance our technologies to enable new applications that improve quality of life. In this case, we are exploring the possibilities to use our EEG headset for research on ADHD and anxiety.”
The VR Days take place at Kromhouthal in Amsterdam from October 24-26. Find imec at booth A32. Here you find the full programme of the VR Days. For more information about the event: www.vrdays.co
About imec the Netherlands
At imec the Netherlands, a team of more than 130 researchers with 25 different nationalities work together on the latest technology innovations. Part of our DNA is to transform ideas into applicable technologies within the fields of connected healthcare, thin film electronics and Internet of Things. In 2005 we founded, together with TNO, the nanotechnology hub ‘Holst Centre’ with a mission to tune scientific strategies and innovations into industrial needs to create new markets. Further information can be found at www.imec.nl
Contact: Eline van Uden, Communications Specialist. +31 40 40 20 650 // +31 68 37 97 680
About imec
Imec is the world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. The combination of our widely acclaimed leadership in microchip technology and profound software and ICT expertise is what makes us unique. By leveraging our world-class infrastructure and local and global ecosystem of partners across a multitude of industries, we create groundbreaking innovation in application domains such as healthcare, smart cities and mobility, logistics and manufacturing, energy and education.
As a trusted partner for companies, start-ups and universities we bring together more than 4,000 brilliant minds from over 85 nationalities. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium and has distributed R&D groups at a number of Flemish universities, in the Netherlands, Taiwan, USA, China, and offices in India and Japan. In 2017, imec's revenue (P&L) totaled 546 million euro. Further information on imec can be found at www.imec-int.com.
Imec is a registered trademark for the activities of IMEC International (a legal entity set up under Belgian law as a "stichting van openbaar nut”), imec Belgium (IMEC vzw supported by the Flemish Government), imec the Netherlands (Stichting IMEC Nederland, part of Holst Centre which is supported by the Dutch Government), imec Taiwan (IMEC Taiwan Co.) and imec China (IMEC Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.) and imec India (Imec India Private Limited), imec Florida (IMEC USA nanoelectronics design center).
Contact: Hanne Degans, Press communications manager, +32 16 28 17 69 // +32 486 06 51 75
Published on:
22 October 2018
