It’s hard to say what’s more intriguing about the new tool researchers at the University of Florida (USF) have developed: that you can paint and be creative using just the power of your mind, or that the invention has the potential to create a to become a new form of therapy for ADHD. “Brain painting lets people use their brains in ways they’ve never done before,” says Marvin Andujar, an assistant professor in USF’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering and leader of the Neuro-Machine Interaction Research Laboratory and the project, in a video.
According to Andujar, the program was tested on people with ADHD and positive effects were found, especially with regard to concentration spans. The latter is often severely impaired in people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Diagnosed primarily in childhood and adolescence, the disorder is often treated with drugs such as Ritalin or, in the United States, Adderall. However, both drugs sometimes cause severe side effects and have been criticized for years. This is another reason why a program like “Brain Painting”, which promises an improvement in symptoms without the use of medication, at least in the test phase, would be interesting for medicine and psychotherapy.
How does painting with the brain work?
But the program can also be helpful for people who do not suffer from ADHD, Andujar explains in the video: “We can all become more concentrated and disciplined through brain painting.” The new program requires enormous concentration and full attention. But how does brain painting work? You strap on a sensor-equipped cap of electrodes (worth $20,000) and sit in front of a computer screen. Sometimes the person also wears an Oculus Rift headset to paint in virtual reality. The sensors detect electrical signals in the brain when a participant looks at a particular option, eventually allowing her to fill a canvas with her choices. Numerous colors, shapes and control options are displayed on the screen.
In addition to the therapeutic function, Andujar has another goal with “Brain Painting”: users should be able to monetize their artistic work on the Internet – albeit initially in non-usable NFT coins. Possibly, however, in a few years, pictures drawn with the thoughts can be bought on the Internet. A virtual Picasso or Monet may already be slumbering in one or the other child with ADHD.