Brainball

Concept: Smart Studio
Date: 2008

Relax and win! “Brainball” turns the conventional concept of competition on its head: the victor isn’t the contestant who’s most active, but rather the one whose brainwaves signal the deeper state of relaxation.

“Brainball” is three projects in one: it’s a game, it’s art and it’s R&D. Two players sit at a table facing one another. Their brainwaves are registered and then analyzed and interpreted by a Macromedia Director application that controls magnets mounted beneath the table. These magnets, in turn, influence the direction of a ball on the table’s surface. The ball rolls towards the player whose brainwaves indicate a higher state of relaxation. Here, the use of cutting-edge biosensors opens up interesting human-machine interaction possibilities.

We live in a world in which everything seems to be moving faster and faster. New technologies that are actually supposed to make our lives easier lead to a spiral of incessant acceleration. More and more people suffer from exhaustion and stress-related health problems.

“Brainball” is Smart Studio’s take on this High-Speed Society. The principle of competition is turned about, with the result constituting a commentary on modern life.
“Brainball” earned Smart Studio an Honorary Mention in the Interactive Art category at Prix Ars Electronica 2001.