This week, I practiced running the experiment on a fellow intern. The experiment takes roughly two hours, and involves walking to various destinations around Human Ecology Building and Martha Van Rensselaer Hall with biofeedback sensors, such as an electroencephalogram (EEG) which measures brain signals. We also use motion tracking sensors to measure gait, as well as a joystick controller to measure uncertainty during navigation. The experiment involves numerous steps, so I was mostly glued to the handbook the whole time. The most difficult part in my opinion is gelling the EEG headset. It takes lots of precision and patience. For those who are experienced, the process takes around 10-15 minutes, but my first time, it took almost an hour. Hopefully, with time and practice, gelling won’t take nearly as long.
The next day, my fellow intern ran the experiment on me. It went by pretty quickly because I am extremely familiar with HEB and MVR by now. The gelling process on the participant side is a little unpleasant because the gel leaves residue on your hair, which takes around two washes to get out.
This week, I also joined the DAIL meeting for the first time in-person and enjoyed some pizza while updating everyone on our progress on the project.