COMS12301 Biofeedback Project 1998

Version 1.0, February 1998

Introduction

Stress is something that we all experience, and with the approach of your examinations an increased level of stress is something that you will suffer unless you are are a very cool person indeed. Wouldn't it be useful to have some means of controlling your stress level? Maybe even of lowering it, apart that is from resorting to drugs, alcohol or other pursuits! Maybe COMS12301 has the answer in this short project which you will do during the four weeks of the summer term.

Firstly you need to find a partner for the project since it will be conducted in pairs, maybe the ideal combination would be a colleague studying physics if you are a psychologist, or vice-versa. As you will see later, the ability of your partner to wield an electrical soldering iron may also be useful. The aim of the project is to introduce you to the different factors involved with interfacing any apparatus or experiment to a computer in order to collect, analyse and (hopefully) publish some results.

A list of steps (not necessarily in order, to consider when interfacing a computer to an experiment will usually cover the following :

  1. Choose some measurement method for the experiment data and then set up a suitable apparatus to collect the data from the measurements.
  2. Produce a suitable electrical signal from the measurements, usually a voltage, a current or a resistance which accurately represents the signal(s) that form the data.
  3. Decide upon any other signals that you need from the experiment.
  4. Decide upon the computer-to-experiment interface that is most effective for the particular computer system.
  5. Adjust the experimental signal(s) to a level and type which can be correctly read by the computer, this depending on the interface selected in 4.
  6. Connect up and test the system. This will usually mean writing or obtaining some test software.
  7. Write some more software or select a suitable software package to control the experiment and to collect and store the results.
  8. Analyse the data from your experiment, possibly returning to improve on one or more of the above steps.
  9. Tell the world! Or at least write a report on your experiments.
The project requires you to build and operate a very simple 'stress meter', using the computer as a measuring device, to take some measurements, read these into a spreadsheet for some analysis, and then to produce a short report about the project. In your report you will need to critically discuss and evaluate how the above items were implemented. Thus since the project is designed to show how to set up an interface between an experiment and a computer you should comment largely on the methodology in your report, and whilst your results may be interesting, you will need to concentrate on the method and design of the experiment.

You must hand in your report for marking by week 24, Friday May15th, or 5% of the marks will be deducted for each day late.

You are working in pairs, but reports must be written independently by each student.