a FAQ about the machine

I learned about this machine at a hacker camp (CCC) in the early 2000s... By then the technology was already 80 years old. This article is featuring the built by Mitch Altman himself who guided me while I was building my first...

but not the last ...

It's just LEDs?

yep! flickering at specific frequencies. I like this picture

Its from the same article

just LEDs? what about the sound?

right! Binaural beats

image credit Effects_of_binaural_beats_and_isochronic_tones_on_brain_wave_modulation

brain, what am I seeing/hearing?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ganzfeld effect (from German for "complete field"), or perceptual deprivation, is a phenomenon of perception caused by exposure to an unstructured, uniform stimulation field. The effect is the result of the brain amplifying neural noise in order to look for the missing visual signals. The noise is interpreted in the higher visual cortex, and gives rise to hallucinations.

So this device is meant to stimultate in order to deprivate. Make more noise, so the outside is blocked.

so what's is the effect?

Neuromodulation. By modulating the frequency of the light/sound and hopping from the current active brain frequency to another frequency, we push/squeeze the brain towards to a desired state... Some concentration and relaxation is required... There are programs to get you in a more relaxed state, you can do one for meditation, or one for a more creative session or to wake up.

You can also just enjoy the nice visuals.

is it dangerous?

Typically not. Photo-epileptic patitents though should not try this.

I'm not seeing/feeling/hearing/changing/enjoying it very much

Sorry. Just take it of. This is not for everyone, but thanks for trying! You can always try again

what does your take on this neuromodulation thing offer as new things?

Well this device here is a little bit different than the the devices it is based upon. I shares much of hardware, but I added MIDI in/out (cable) and even a wireless connection. This is used to synchronize the experience among participants and even connect it to live music. What you see here is the first prototype, it still needs some work