Just Do It

Brain Machine Workshop

by Rick Valenzuela

Sat., May 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $40 ($25 if at least 12 people attend), the Hacktory, 1524 Brandywine St., 267-687-9996, thehacktory.org

Some people have trouble meditating. Others are all thumbs when it comes to building. And then there are those who crave the crazy visuals that often involve breaking the law. Any of these problems can be solved Saturday at the Hacktory, which will be hosting a workshop on how to build something called a Brain Machine.

The device is essentially a pair of glasses that pulsate sound and light in frequencies that induce meditation. You attach headphones and hear a constant pitch in one ear, and a slightly shifting pitch in the other. The frequencies match brainwave sequences, and the programmed run lures your brain through various states, including meditative. The whole time, blinking LEDs match the frequency. Its inventor, Mitch Altman, explains that the flashes of light coupled with the sounds "zoom you into a really nice meditation" that is supplemented by visual patterns. And, he says, "It seems like people really like hallucinating."

Altman, a hacker who's known for developing the TV-B-Gone, a universal remote control with only an off button, will lead the workshop. Building the Brain Machine involves soldering and programming a microcontroller, but he says the project requires no basic knowledge of anything technical. "People who have not even sewn a button have successfully built these," he says.