R&D Projects

Over the past years, Brain Products has cooperated with leading institutes and researchers as well as innovative companies and start-ups in research & development (R&D) projects funded by the European Union (EU), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (B M B F), as well as others. On this page, you will find a short overview of each of our current and past projects that we at Brain Products are or were previously involved in.

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Projects - Innovative through research

Start DateEnd DateProject description & partnersFunding / Grant No.
Jul 1, 2020Dec 31, 2023 (Official End Date)VirtualNoPain – Combination of Virtual Reality (VR) and Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) for the therapy of chronic pain

The quality of life is significantly reduced in chronic pain. The therapy is usually carried out with painkillers which expose patients to an increased risk of drug-related side effects. Studies have shown in patients with chronic pain (fibromyalgia) that the use of VR has a positive effect comparable to that of psychotherapeutic treatment. The experience of being present in a VR environment can reduce pain perception and is reflected in a measurable change in brain activity patterns in the electroencephalogram (EEG).

In the VirtualNoPain project, this pain-relieving VR effect can be enhanced by the patients themselves by influencing their EEG activity patterns via neurofeedback. The BCI required for this purpose has been integrated by Brain Products into a VR system. A compact prototype with easy handling has been created. The device shall enable patients to take more responsibility for their own activities and have a positive influence on the course of the disease.

Even if the project has ended officially in December last year, Brain Products and the other partners are supporting the clinical study which is still running at the Universitätsklinikum Würzburg. The outcome of this study will be the basis to show the effectivity and efficiency of the developed VR-BCI-solution.

Partners: VTplus GmbH, Würzburg; Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg; ZTM Bad Kissingen GmbH

> Go to official website
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); Grant No. 13GW0343B
Jun 1, 2020Sep 30, 2022Mindtooth – Wearable device to decode human mind by neurometrics for a new concept of smart interaction with the surrounding environment

The European project Mindtooth has successfully finished. This interdisciplinary consortium developed a wearable device to decode the human mind by neurometrics.

The project aimed to develop the “Mindtooth system” to provide real-time indicators of cognitive or emotional states by processing cerebral signals. The system should provide affordable cross-application indicators based on scientifically proven algorithms, using a wearable, comfortable and easy-to-fit EEG headset, equipped with sponge-based sensor technology and a click-on amplifier. During the project, this innovative system was validated in three different environments: aviation training for pilots, car driving simulator in automotive, and monitoring for industrial workers.

The project had a duration of 28 months and received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No. 950998.

Partners: The project coordinator was BrainSigns, a leading company in the field of neurophysiological measurements and related applications based in Italy. The multidisciplinary consortium also consisted of Brain Products, the Instituto Technológico de Castilla y Leon (ITCL) from Spain, and IBM Israel.

> Go to official website
> EU project overview
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No. 950998.

Dec 1, 2018Aug 31, 2023Neo-PRISM-C – Neurodevelopmental Optimal-Predictors, Risk factors, and Intervention from a Systems approach to Maladjustment in Children

Neo-PRISM-C was an Initial Training Network (ITN) within the EU Framework for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020. The project aimed at the study of brain and behavioural relationships for diagnosis, interpretation and addressing neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) that compromise quality of life of millions of young Europeans. A new framework for the understanding and treatment of psychopathological conditions, known as "Research Domain Criteria" (RDoC), has been be implemented with the aim of informing and beginning to test appropriate treatments.

Brain Products was an associated industry partner offering training and seminars in the field of electroencephalography for the early-stage researchers, who were funded within this project. In addition, Brain Products promoted Neo-PRISM-C through its own communication channels and will support the dissemination of results.

Partners: Center for Applied Neuroscience of the University Cyprus, 16 universities and clinical institutions across Europe, Canada and the United States, several industrial partners

> Go to official website
> EU project overview
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 813546.

Nov 1, 2017Oct 31, 2018Scientist for neurophysiological research applications in Mobile Brain/Body Imaging (MoBI)

The H2020 SME Innovation Associate has been a new pilot action under the EU Research und Innovation Framework Programme „Horizon 2020“ supporting European SMEs to recruit post-doctoral research associates from other countries to explore an innovation business idea. Brain Products won the grant for this pilot action to enforce engagement in the field of wearable technologies and Mobile Brain/Body Imaging (MoBI). As Innovation Associate, Christina Lavallée, a highly-skilled researcher from Canada, could be employed. Christina worked on strategic marketing campaigns and fostering relationships with researchers and scientists in the field of mobile EEG. Having successfully completed this EU project, Christina stays with Brain Products as a Strategic Product Manager.

> More information
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 739628.

Apr 1, 2017Jun 30, 2021ESIT – European School of Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research

According to epidemiological data, chronic tinnitus affects around 42 million people in Europe alone. Tinnitus is a phenomenon can be a severe medical problem for patients, yet is still not well researched. The primary goal of ESIT was to educate and build up a new generation of tinnitus experts who are sensitive to the current challenges in tinnitus research, have a broad knowledge base and have first-hand experience. ESIT provides an opportunity for young researchers to work on leading-edge research projects, which will improve the situation of 42 million European tinnitus patients. A total number of 15 Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) received formal education as well as hands-on training on tinnitus research and patient care.

Brain Products was an associated industry partner collaborating closely with an ESR at the hospital of the University of Regensburg for developing a mobile EEG app. In addition, Brain Products provided a mobile EEG system und took part in project meetings.

Partners: Hospital of the University of Regensburg, eleven universities and research organisations across Europe, several industrial partners

> Go to official website
> EU project overview
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 722046.

Mar 1, 2017Feb 29, 2020AMoRSA – Adaptive and highly motivating platform for the rehabilitation of patients with arm paralysis following a stroke

Millions of stroke patients worldwide suffer from severe chronic arm paralysis. An efficient strategy for systematic rehabilitation can help patients to permanently improve their mobility and perform important everyday activities such as eating, drinking, or dressing without outside help.

The AMoRSA project has developed an adaptive and motivating rehabilitation platform. To be able to treat severe paralysis, the platform combines state-of-the-art neurotechnology with an exoskeleton and an innovative video game. A training system was created, the central element of it being an artificial interface between the brain and muscles. Through their brain activity, the patients control an exoskeleton that is connected to the paralysed arm. This movement feedback reactivates disturbed connections between the brain and muscles, so that the patients can move independently again in the long term. The rehabilitation system is embedded in a digital health game that guides patients through the training, intuitively communicates health information and training progress and continuously motivates them. The success of rehabilitation can thus be experienced directly.

Partners: Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology; Promotion Software Tuebingen

> Summary of results
> Interview with project partners PSW Software und University of Tübingen
> Project description at the beginning of the project
> Project video
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Grant No. 16SV7753

Feb 1, 2017Jan 31, 2020CoMiCon – Brain Computer Interface for patients in minimal conscious state (MCS)

Minimal conscious state (MCS) patients are excluded from common communication channels. Within the CoMiCon project, a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) was developed to enable a simple “yes/no communication” directly with the brains of MCS patients. The innovation combines modern technologies such as EEG, fNIRS, physiological sensors, specialized software and individual human attention. The patients hear questions from their relatives for which the answers are known; they are asked to respond mentally in the brain. Various types of music are used to encourage the attention of the patients. All in all, a system has been developed with which communication with MCS patients can be tested and trained. From this project alone, however, it cannot yet be conclusively confirmed that communication with MCS patients is always possible – only a large clinical study could prove this.

Partners: NIRx Medizintechnik Berlin; Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology; BDH-clinic Hessisch-Oldendorf. Brain Products is the overall coordinator of the project

> Summary of results
> Interview with Dr. Manfred Jaschke (General Manager at Brain Products)
> Project description at the beginning of the project
> Project video
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Grant No. 16SV7699K

Nov 1, 2015Dec 31, 2018Development and scientific evaluation of a novel MR-compatible electroencephalography system for multimodal and multiparametric analysis of brain structure and function

In brain research, scientists use multimodal and multiparametric analyses to better understand the functional and structural relationships of the human brain and its pathologies. The simultaneous recording and evaluation of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is particularly forward-looking, as they allow a direct, non-invasive investigation of neuronal activity at a hitherto unattained high temporal and spatial resolution. Within this project, a new MR-compatible EEG amplifier system has been developed as a demonstrator. The results of the scientific studies are used by the LMU for simultaneous EEG-fMRI measurements to answer different clinical questions in basic research.

Partners: Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Institute for clinical radiology

> Go to official website
Funded by: Bayerische Forschungsstiftung
Grant No. AZ-1160-15

Ju 1, 2015May 31, 2017Sleep booster: Device for stimulating slow-oscillations during sleep

In this project, an innovative system for "learning while sleeping" based on study results from the University of Luebeck has been developed. EEG was used for detecting the slow oscillations (around 1 Hz) in the user's deep sleep phase and boost their memory by acoustic stimulation in selected moments. Scientists have found out that these slow oscillations are important for the formation of our declarative long-term memory.

Partners: PRC Pattern Recognition Company GmbH, Lübeck
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, based on a German Bundestag decision
Grant No. KA2986503KJ4

Jan 1, 2015Dec 31, 2017EMOIO - Brain-Computer-Interface for emotion detection in neuro-adaptive assistance systems

Assistive and adaptive systems offer a great potential for supporting users in various conditions. They are especially convenient for elderly people because they help them master technical products that become more and more complex. In this project, the partners strived to detect the users' emotional-affective reactions in human-machine environments and to give this information back to the system in order to adapt its function to the needs and preferences of the single user. For this purpose, combined electroencephalography (EEG) and Near-InfraRed-Spectroscopy (NIRS) were applied.

Partners: Fraunhofer IAO Stuttgart; NIRx Medizintechnik Berlin; University of Tuebingen, Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology + Institute of Psychology; University of Stuttgart, Institute for Working Environment and Technology Management

> Go to official website
> Project video
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Grant No. 16SV7198

Oct 1, 2013Sep 30, 2017INDIREA – Individualised Diagnostics and Rehabilitation of Attention

The objective of this European network was to improve the diagnosis and rehabilitation of neurophysiological disorders of attention. New diagnostic procedures have linked clinical measures of attentional disorders to a detailed mathematical account and to computational models of neuronal functions. These behavioural measures were integrated with brain imaging indices (using fMRI, EEG, MEG) to explain attentional disorders at a neural as well as a functional level. Brain Products employed an early-stage researcher (ESR) with a Master’s degree from the University of Warsaw. His name is Natan Napiorkowski, he studied physics and neuropsychology.

Partners: Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford (United Kingdom); five universities and research organisations across Europe; Brain Products as industrial partners

> Go to official website
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 606901.

Ja 1, 2013Dec 31, 2016LanPercept – Language and perception

This training network offered an interdisciplinary approach to examining the bidirectional relationships between language and perception for the first time, bridging the translational gap between basic and applied research, both in clinical settings and in industry. Brain Products was an associated partner offering secondments for early-stage researchers and contributing to the analysis of combined eye-tracking and EEG data.

Partners: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); nine universities and industrial partners across Europe

> Go to official website
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 316748.

Sep 1, 2012Feb 28, 2017Universal EEG based measuring and analyzing procedure for market research

Neuromarketing represents an interesting challenge for the future. The main objective was to develop a comfortable, convenient EEG cap to be used in market research for large test groups. In addition, an algorithm during a classification procedure that detects the meaning of brain activity in different cortex areas was created. We could thereby explain how the exposure to a message made up of images, text, and audio is able to trigger persisting stimuli in the consumer’s mind leading to an interest, preference, and purchase intent for a specific object. A training video about the handling and use of the active dry electrodes developed in this project was produced.

Partners: K&A Brand Research, Röthenbach; Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors,(IfADo) Dortmund
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, based on a German Bundestag decision
Grant No. KF2986501KJ2 and 2986501TN5

Sep 1, 2012Aug 31, 2016NETT – Neural Engineering Transformative Technologies

Neural Engineering is an inherently new discipline that coalesces engineering, physics and neuroscience for the design and development of brain-computer interface systems, cognitive computers and neural prosthetics. For the implementation of future transformative technologies, a new breed of young researchers was trained to integrate ideas and skills from a broad range of disciplines. Brain Products was an associated partner, who offered a BCI workshop and internships for young scientists who wanted to know more about the most up-to-date EEG technology.

Partners: School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Nottingham (UK); five universities and research institutions across Europe; two industrial partners

> Go to official website
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 289146.

Jun 1, 2012May 31, 2015BCI live: Brain computer Interface – long-term interface for verbal expression

The objective was to develop a robust communication system for people with severe paralysis that is easy to use and even applicable when oculomotor abilities are impaired. The system control was based on efficient algorithms and a general classifier using not only a visual but also an auditory speller “driven” by the patient. For this purpose, a new electrode cap with special electrodes was developed that assures a good signal quality over several hours and comfort for the user at home. The sensor and amplification technology have been adapted to meet the special requirements. The prototype was used by a group of patients under the guidance of the Tuebingen research group in order to identify and eliminate remaining problems. A range of ethical questions were examined as well.

Partners: Technische Universität Berlin, Machine Learning Group; University of Tuebingen, Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology

> Go to official website
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Grant No. 16SV5838K

Jan 1, 2012Dec 31, 2015ACT – Action Research: Improving understanding and methodologies in early development

The ACT Initial Training Network aimed to establish a leading European training network devoted to investigating the interplay between action and cognition using a developmental approach. Brain Products employed an early-stage researcher (ESR), Oscar Portoléz Marín, who is Spanish. He conducted a project on the creation of trial analysis tools that are suitable for use with infant populations.

Partners: University of Lancaster (UK); four universities and research institutions across Europe; two industrial partners

> Go to official website
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 289404.

 

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