Interactive Brainwave Visual Analyzer (IBVA)

Masahiro Kahata (born 1951, Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan) began building brainwave interface systems in 1973, using analog and early digital electronics. By 1978–1980 he was visualizing brainwaves on Apple II and Rockwell computers. In 1984, he publicly demonstrated brainwave-controlled mouse drawing at Sapporo City Education Culture Hall using a Mac 128K, Apple II, and Rockwell computer—nineteen participants drew images using only brainwave switching. He spent 1985–1987 as Chief Researcher at ASCII Laboratories (a division of ASCII Corporation, Japan's leading computer publisher), then incorporated Psychic Lab in Sapporo in 1988. Development of IBVA as a commercial product began with Tokyo-based hardware partner Random Electronics Design. Kahata moved to New York in 1989, working with American Biotech on Mac-based biofeedback systems before incorporating Psychic Lab Inc. in March 1991 and shipping IBVA V1.0.1 the following month.

The sensor headband captured microvolt-level EEG signals from the prefrontal cortex. A low-noise DC-coupled differential amplifier boosted the signal for radio transmission. On the Mac, the IBVA software performed FFT analysis (up to 8192-point, 0.015 Hz resolution) to decompose the continuous EEG into frequency bands. Multiple output modes were available: Brain Peak MIDI mapped left/right brainwave power peaks to MIDI note and velocity; Brain Rhythm MIDI sent continuous rhythmic EEG data; Brain Switches allowed users to set 8 configurable thresholds per channel (left, right, and coherence), enabling up to 128 discrete brain-triggered events. A competitive game mode called BrainFighter pitted two users' brainwaves against each other or against recorded sessions. The system's default bandwidth of 0.16–40 Hz at 120 Hz sampling captured all major EEG bands, while the programmable hardware could run at up to 1920 Hz sampling covering 0–900 Hz.

The IBVA found its most visible use in the art world. Japanese artist Mariko Mori collaborated with Kahata to create waveUFO (2003–2011), an interactive brainwave installation where three participants entered a UFO-shaped pod and their synchronized brainwaves controlled real-time 3D animations. The work toured globally, appearing at the Venice Biennale (2005), Public Art Fund New York, and museums in Brazil, Denmark, and Austria. Other artists included Neam Cathode (Jean Décarie), who created Cyber Mondrian (2001) using brainwave-controlled Mondrian-like visuals and synthesized sound at Montréal's Oboro Gallery; Paras Kaul ("Brain Wave Chick"), who composed brainwave music at George Mason University; and UK artist Luciana Haill, who became the official EU/UK IBVA distributor and used the system in dreamachine EEG installations and augmented reality works. On the commercial side, HBO used the IBVA in 1993 to measure audience engagement with TV programming—finding, as New Scientist reported, that gritty documentaries triggered high brain response while a Michael Jackson concert generated almost none.

The IBVA is extraordinary not just for when it started but for how long it lasted. The product evolved continuously from Mac System 6 through Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, Intel, and Apple Silicon—over thirty years of ongoing development. It added Bluetooth (2006), Quartz Composer visual plugins, GarageBand Audio Unit brainwave filters, an iPhone app (BrainDJVJ, 2009), and eventually open-source extensions including the brain-duino project (2014) and MAX/MSP externals. It won Best of Show at MacWorld New York in 1998 and was covered by Mondo 2000, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Popular Mechanics, New Scientist, and The Guardian. In 2000–2001, Sony America commissioned Psychic Lab to develop a brainwave gaming interface, though the project was cancelled after September 11, 2001.