VIRTUAL REALITY METHODS AND APPARATUS WHICH USE OR INCLUDE BRAIN ACTIVITY SENSORS
Integrated systems for providing audio, video, light stimulus and/or measuring brain activity through the use of one or more electrodes, e.g., EEG dermatrodes, are described. A system, e.g., a head mounted VR device, for providing stimulation to a user and detecting user responses to said stimulation includes a head mount, a plurality of light emitting elements, e.g., sets of LEDs, a housing secured to said head mount, and at least one or more electrodes for making contact with skin of a user. In various embodiments, the system further determines a user's mental state and provides audio and/or visual feedback to the user.
1 . A method for detecting stimulation response from a user, comprising:
displaying, by a head mounted device worn by a user, one or more images, wherein the one or more images are not visible to the user when displayed;
providing visual stimulation by the head mounted device while the user's eyes are closed;
detecting a user response to the visual stimulation based on a measurement by one or more electrodes of the head mounted device;
determining a mental state of the user based on the user response; and
presenting feedback information to the user indicative of the determined mental state.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the one or more images comprises:
prompting a user to close the user's eyes, and
displaying the one or more images in accordance with determining the user's eyes are closed.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the visual stimulation comprises:
controlling LED light in a preprogrammed sequence while the user's eyes are closed.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the visual stimulation comprises a left eye visual stimulation and a right eye visual stimulation, and wherein the left eye visual stimulation differs from the right eye stimulation.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more electrodes comprises:
an embedded analog amplifier for amplifying a low level detected brain wave signal to produce an amplified brainwave signal, and
an embedded A/D circuit for converting the amplified received brainwave signal to a digital signal.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the mental state of the user comprises:
comparing the measurements to stored measurement profile information corresponding to a plurality of user mental states.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a stimulation adjustment based on the user response.
8 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable code executable by one or more processors to:
display, by a head mounted device worn by a user, one or more images, wherein the one or more images are not visible to the user when displayed;
provide visual stimulation by the head mounted device while the user's eyes are closed;
detect a user response to the visual stimulation based on a measurement by one or more electrodes of the head mounted device;
determine a mental state of the user based on the user response; and
present feedback information to the user indicative of the determined mental state.
9 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the computer readable code to display the one or more images comprises computer readable code to:
prompting a user to close the user's eyes, and
displaying the one or more images in accordance with determining the user's eyes are closed.
10 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the computer readable code to provide the visual stimulation comprises computer readable code to:
control LED light in a preprogrammed sequence while the user's eyes are closed.
11 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the visual stimulation comprises a left eye visual stimulation and a right eye visual stimulation, and wherein the left eye visual stimulation differs from the right eye stimulation.
12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein each of the one or more electrodes comprises:
an embedded analog amplifier for amplifying a low level detected brain wave signal to produce an amplified brainwave signal, and
an embedded A/D circuit for converting the amplified received brainwave signal to a digital signal.
13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the computer readable code to determine the mental state of the user comprises computer readable code to:
compare the measurements to stored measurement profile information corresponding to a plurality of user mental states.
14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising computer readable code to:
determine a stimulation adjustment based on the user response.
15 . A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more computer readable media comprising computer readable code executable by the one or more processors to:
display, by a head mounted device worn by a user, one or more images, wherein the one or more images are not visible to the user when displayed;
provide visual stimulation by the head mounted device while the user's eyes are closed;
detect a user response to the visual stimulation based on a measurement by one or more electrodes of the head mounted device;
determine a mental state of the user based on the user response; and
present feedback information to the user indicative of the determined mental state.
16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the computer readable code to display the one or more images comprises computer readable code to:
prompting a user to close the user's eyes, and
displaying the one or more images in accordance with determining the user's eyes are closed.
17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the computer readable code to provide the visual stimulation comprises computer readable code to:
control LED light in a preprogrammed sequence while the user's eyes are closed.
18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the visual stimulation comprises a left eye visual stimulation and a right eye visual stimulation, and wherein the left eye visual stimulation differs from the right eye stimulation.
19 . The system of claim 15 , wherein each of the one or more electrodes comprises:
an embedded analog amplifier for amplifying a low level detected brain wave signal to produce an amplified brainwave signal, and
an embedded A/D circuit for converting the amplified received brainwave signal to a digital signal.
20 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the computer readable code to determine the mental state of the user comprises computer readable code to:
compare the measurements to stored measurement profile information corresponding to a plurality of user mental states.
21 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising computer readable code to:
determine a stimulation adjustment based on the user response.