computer science

MindRDR

MindRDR is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MindRDR rather than just read about it. In short: MindRDR is a Google Glass app created by This Place, a London, Seattle and Tokyo based user experience agency. MindRDR connects a Neurosky MindWave Mobile portable EEG monitor to Google Glass and uses the EEG signal to control functionality on Google Glass.

Key takeaways

MindRDR belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MindRDR to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MindRDR from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MindRDR is a Google Glass app created by This Place, a London, Seattle and Tokyo based user experience agency. MindRDR connects a Neurosky MindWave Mobile portable EEG monitor to Google Glass and uses the EEG signal to control functionality on Google Glass. The MindRDR app can use the EEG signals to take a photo using the Google Glass camera, and then can share the picture to Twitter or Facebook. The MindWave EEG sensor measures brainwaves and the MindRDR app interprets these brain waves as an input signal for activation of hardware on Google Glass; with high levels of concentration being used as a positive user gesture, and relaxation as a negative user gesture.

User interface Within the app, users are presented with a live feed if the viewfinder with a graphical overlay - a vertical line with a scale at the side and options to exit the app or take a photo at the top and bottom. The vertical line moves up and down the screen dependent on the signal from the EEG monitor, with higher levels of brain waves associated with concentration moving the bar towards the top, and higher levels of brain waves associated with relaxation moving the bar towards the bottom. Once concentration levels get high enough, the camera captures a picture and the image remains on screen with the bar moving to allow the user to share to Twitter with a positive response, or discard the photo with a negative response.

Possible uses The creators of MindRDR suggest that this tool could be used to help people with severe physical disabilities, such as locked-in syndrome and quadriplegia interact with the digital world, however there has been no research published as yet to show its efficacy.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MindRDR

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MindRDR claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MindRDR before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MindRDR ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MindRDR

In research: MindRDR appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MindRDR in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MindRDR is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Brain–computer interface, Electroencephalography, Neuroimaging software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MindRDR outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MindRDR in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MindRDR means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MindRDR out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MindRDR in simple terms?

Why does MindRDR matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MindRDR?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MindRDR.