SQUID brainwave detector

Jerry Wayne Decker ( jwdatwork@yahoo.com )
Sun, 10 Oct 1999 11:48:10 -0700 (PDT)

Hi Folks!

Here is an interesting patent that takes advantage of
SQUID circuitry to measure weak magnetic fields of the
brain to 'play a game' though it has lots of other
uses;

http://164.195.100.11/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/search-bool.html&r=9&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=pall&s1=5213338&OS=5213338&RS=5213338

In another embodiment of this invention seen in FIG.
18 the brain waves of the players can be detected and
measured by a magnetic coil and by a super-conducting
quantum interference device called a SQUID, which type
of device is well-known.

A SQUID device combines magnetic flux quantization and
Josephson tunneling and can detect and measure very
weak magnetic fields. Whereas the embodiments
previously described detect the brain waves by sensing
and measuring voltages picked up by electrodes that
are in contact with the player's head, a SQUID device
which is not in contact with the head detects and
measures brain waves by detecting and measuring
magnetic field variations that are outside the head
using magnetic pickup coils.

The detection and measurement of the magnetic fields
produced by brain activity is called
magnetoencephalography or MEG.

A small single turn or multiturn magnetic pickup coil
1-3 cm in diameter such as coil 302 can be placed near
the head on the side or front, or back of the head, or
above the head; and the two ends of the coil are
connected to the player's SQUID via a pair of twisted
wire leads 310 that can be shielded to guard against
electronic pickup noise.

The coil(s), such as coils 302, 306 and 308 can be
mounted on a comfortable headpiece 300, made of a
material, such as plastic, that is non-magnetic and
electrically non-conducting. The SQUID device 312
itself, which operates at low temperatures such as 77
degrees Kelvin, can be placed at a convenient location
such as on a table several feet away from the player.
The output leads from each player's SQUID are
connected to the rest of the game equipment in the
same way as the outputs from the brain wave monitors
in the previous embodiments.

=====

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Please respond to jdecker@keelynet.com
as I am writing from my work email of
jwdatwork@yahoo.com.........thanks!
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