Societal Need

The world is built for able-bodied people that move, speak, and express themselves in specific ways. When you lose these abilities, access to work, education, and self-expression disappear. For people with ALS, those abilities fade rapidly, while their mind remains fully intact. Losing their sense of self, by losing their self expression.

Client perspective

Technology company NTT set out to create a new form of expression powered only by brainwaves. Together with Breanna Olson, a former professional dancer who lives with ALS, we created the world’s first brainwave‑driven dance performance and challenge the limits of the disease.

Lab Process

Using a state of the art machine learning model, we created an EEG system that made brainwave based selection ten times faster, without implant surgery or large clinical machines like fMRI. This allowed Breanna to control a virtual holographic version of herself performing live on stage through focused brain activity.

Lab Process

The system improves with every use, making it adaptable for many conditions and opening new paths to work, education, social connection, and play for people whose minds move ahead of their bodies.