Summary of 2023 HALLOWEEN HACKFEST: A SPOOKY MUSCLE-BRAIN INTERFACE
Markus Bindhammer built a durable, retro-styled muscle-to-brain visualizer inspired by Tales From the Loop. He molded a silicone brain and vertebrae and epoxy discs, then housed electronics—including an Arduino Pro Micro, a Grove EMG detector, a mini step-up converter, and a NeoPixel ring—to light the brain in response to muscle activity. The project reproduces the look and feel of an 80s lab toy with modern components and a demo video shows it in action.
Parts used in the Spooky Muscle-Brain Interface:
- Two-part silicone (for molding the brain and vertebrae)
- Two-component colored epoxy (for the discs)
- Arduino Pro Micro
- Grove EMG detector
- Mini step-up converter module
- NeoPixel ring
- Enclosure/stand (retro color scheme)
What could be better than a Halloween decoration? Something more perennial, or even something that could also be found in a classroom or lab. Something like [Markus Bindhammer]’s spooky muscle-brain interface. It was inspired by a series called “Tales From the Loop” in which a character’s muscle electrical activity is measured in preparation to adjust his prosthetic hand.
Essentially, it does what you think it does: attach the sensors to your muscles, move them around, and watch the brain light up. [Markus] started with a children’s learning kit that involves molding the brain and discs out of red rubbery goop, the vertebrae out of plaster, and then assembling the whole thing.
Instead, [Markus] molded the brain and vertebrae in two-part silicone for durability, and used two-component colored epoxy for the discs.
As the inspiring series is set in the 80s (we assume the brown, dingy 80s and not the fun, neon 80s), [Markus] gave the enclosure/stand an appropriate color scheme. Inside that box there’s an Arduino Pro Micro, a Grove EMG detector, and a mini step-up converter module. And of course, under the brain, there’s a NeoPixel ring. Don’t miss the build and demo video after the break.
There are a ton of things you can do with blinkenlights for Halloween. How about a light-up candy slide, or a bucket that seems them coming?
Source: 2023 HALLOWEEN HACKFEST: A SPOOKY MUSCLE-BRAIN INTERFACE
- What inspired the Spooky Muscle-Brain Interface project?
It was inspired by the series Tales From the Loop, specifically a scene measuring muscle electrical activity to adjust a prosthetic hand. - How is the brain and vertebrae constructed differently from the original kit?
Markus molded the brain and vertebrae in two-part silicone for durability instead of using the children's learning kit materials. - What material is used for the discs under the brain?
The discs are made from two-component colored epoxy. - Which microcontroller is used in the build?
The project uses an Arduino Pro Micro. - How does the project detect muscle activity?
Muscle activity is detected using a Grove EMG detector. - What provides the lighting under the brain?
A NeoPixel ring is placed under the brain to light up in response to muscle signals. - Is a power regulation component included in the project?
Yes, a mini step-up converter module is included inside the enclosure. - Does the project have a specific visual style?
Yes, the enclosure and stand use a color scheme appropriate to an 80s-inspired aesthetic.
