Deep Space Weekend: Beyond the Lab

Ars Electronica Center:
Deep Space Weekend: Beyond the Lab
Saturday & Sunday, May 13-14, 2017

Press Release: Deep Space Weekend: Beyond the Lab / PDF

(Linz, May 11, 2017) Beyond the Lab: The DIY Science Revolution is the title of a traveling exhibition showcasing “do-it-yourself scientists.” It’s running at the Ars Electronica Center until June 5. Plus, this coming weekend, May 13-14, Deep Space will host an accompanying program of interesting speeches and tours about responsible research and innovation. Among other features, the lineup spotlights a network for citizen-scientists, controlling prostheses via brainwaves, and a dance performance about a brain operation.

Program overview:

Citizen Science Austria / Saturday, May 13, 2017 / 12:30-1 PM

Florian Heigl and Daniel Dörler of the Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, explain citizen science, a working method in which scientific projects are conducted or supported by interested amateurs. The participating citizen scientists report their observations, carry out measurements, or evaluate data according to scientists’ instructions. This trend has also reached Austria. The Österreich forscht [Austria performs research] platform www.citizen-science.at has been online since 2014. Its aims are to host a network linking up citizen science practitioners in Austria, and to qualitatively develop this method.

Do-it-yourself Science? / Saturday & Saturday, May 13-14 / 1:30-2:30 PM both days

“Out of the lab and into the living room!” are the watchwords of this tour featuring examples of do-it-yourself efforts that haven’t stopped short of strictly scientific fields of research.

From “Out of Order” to a Life that’s as Independent as Possible / Saturday, May 13 / 3-4 PM

This address is an account of what can be a long and arduous path from the emergence of a disability to a new life in its aftermath. It will also deal with aids that can help the disabled to compensate in certain areas for their disabilities and/or limitations. Plus, visitors will gain insights into the current state of research & development. Speaker: Gerhard Nussbaum of the Competence Network Information Technology to Support the Integration of People with Disabilities.

Deep Space SPECIAL: Cinematic Rendering / Saturday & Saturday, May 13-14 / 4:30-5 PM both days

Cinematic Rendering takes three-dimensional depiction of the human body to the next level of sophistication. This Siemens Healthcare project is a vivid example of how science can profit from artistic impulses.

On the Invisible Life of Coma Patients and How Thoughts Contribute to Stroke Rehabilitation / Saturday, May 13 / 5-6 PM

Christoph Guger of g.tec medical engineering GmbH presents two tools for coma and stroke patients: mindBEAGLE offers coma patients the possibility of communicating with their family members and physicians; recoveriX utilizes only the power of patients’ imagination to help them re-learn moving their arms and legs. Both systems are based on brain-computer interfaces that register brain activity in real time and immediately process the data.

Patentvideo – Rhinospider: A Patent in Three Acts / Sunday, May 14 / 3-4 PM

Rhinospider is an invention that enables a brain surgeon to precisely navigate in 3-D during an operation. This film illustrating how the technology works was produced in cooperation with Linz Art University, Medical University of Innsbruck, Ars Electronica Center Linz, Anton Bruckner Private University and the Las Gafas film crew. The result is an experimental dance performance that depicts the invention in an extraordinary way. With Andre Zogholy.

Insights into Future Areas of Application of BCI / Sunday, May 14 / 5-6 PM

The object of a brain-computer interface is to enable people to operate a computer with the power of their mind. The point: not having to deal with an input device speeds up issuing a computer commands. The applications for such systems include in-car assistance equipment, game-playing devices and technology for controlling prostheses via brainwaves. With Christoph Guger of g.tec medical engineering GmbH.

The Traveling Exhibition “Beyond the Lab: The DIY Science Revolution”

The traveling exhibition that’s been running since March at the Ars Electronica Center is the centerpiece of SPARKS, a project produced in conjunction with the EU’s Horizon 2020 initiative. “Beyond the Lab” will have appeared in a total of 29 countries throughout Europe by 2018. The project’s aim is for SPARKS to jump from the society to research and vice versa, and to fire up interested citizens, scientists and entrepreneurs to get involved in responsible research and innovation.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/34572990835/
g.tec Presentation / Fotocredit: Ars Electronica / Robert Bauernhansl / Printversion

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/34202951200/
RHINOSPIDER: An Operation in Three Acts / Fotocredit: Michael Wirthig / Printversion / Album

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/33762700663/
Cinematic Rendering / Fotocredit: Ars Electronica / Robert Bauernhansl / Printversion