GMU:My Computer, Max, and I/Introduction

Athlete recovering with four-channel, electrical muscle stimulation machine. Source: Wikimedia

What if attached Electrical muscle stimulation while playing games? Or for therapy reasons? Creating realistic feedback or treatments is challenging, because it involves direct muscle contractions

Electrotherapy

“Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment.[1] In medicine, the term electrotherapy can apply to a variety of treatments, including the use of electrical devices such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disease.”(wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrotherapy)

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS)

“Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) .. is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses. EMS has received an increasing amount of attention in the last few years for many reasons: it can be utilized as a strength training tool for healthy subjects and athletes; it could be used as a rehabilitation and preventive tool for partially or totally immobilized patients; it could be utilized as a testing tool for evaluating the neural and/or muscular function in vivo; it could be used as a post-exercise recovery tool for athletes. The impulses are generated by a device and are delivered through electrodes on the skin near to the muscles being stimulated. The electrodes are generally pads that adhere to the skin. The impulses mimic the action potential that comes from the central nervous system, causing the muscles to contract.”(wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_muscle_stimulation)

Electrical brain stimulation

“Electrical brain stimulation (EBS) is a technique to stimulate a neuron or neural network in the brain through the direct or indirect excitation of its cell membrane by using an electric current.”(wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_brain_stimulation)

Sensors

Heart rate sensor (ECG Electrocardiography)

“Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG[a]), a recording - a graph of voltage versus time - of the electrical activity of the heart[4] using electrodes placed on the skin.”(wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocardiography)

Muscle sensor (EMG Electromyography)

See e.g. MyoWare sensor

“Electromyography (EMG) is an electrodiagnostic medicine technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles.[1] EMG is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph to produce a record called an electromyogram. An electromyograph detects the electric potential generated by muscle cells”

Max

Max, also known as Max/MSP/Jitter, is a visual programming language for music and multimedia developed. Developed from 1980s, currently maintained by San Francisco-based software company Cycling '74. https://cycling74.com/

In this course, we will use youtube tutorials and start learning Max from there.

Tutorials

• Max 7 Tutorial # 2: Setting up Max 7 on Your Computer, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ynJjV-GD-g&index=2&list=PLVIa8UkRzErsdnC1DEpDy7S9Ss7BhY7nY
• Max 7 Tutorial # 3: Getting to Know Max - Your First Patcher, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zix1JNUKZcg&index=3&list=PLVIa8UkRzErsdnC1DEpDy7S9Ss7BhY7nY
• Max 7 Tutorial # 4: More Objects, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzvORiYncbg&list=PLVIa8UkRzErsdnC1DEpDy7S9Ss7BhY7nY&index=4
• Max MSP V6 Tutorial 3 - Cycle and messages, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdmzj0rNTYw

Patches

• File:counter.maxpat Counter, [counter]
• File:cycle.maxpat Frequence, [cycle~]

References

• Electrotherapy, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrotherapy
• Electrocardiography, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocardiography
• Electrical brain stimulation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_brain_stimulation
• Electrical muscle stimulation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_muscle_stimulation