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Stories
Imagination Centre Team in Belgium
July 2023
Glenrose BCI program showcased on the world BCI stage
Last month, three members of the Imagination Centre team attended the 10th International BCI Society Meeting in Belgium. Over four jam-packed days, the BCI Society Meeting brought together researchers, clinicians, and engineers working with BCI from around the world. The conference combined interactive workshops with daily scientific poster sessions and keynote presentations from global leaders in BCI innovation and implementation. This year, 450 people from 33 different countries attended the conference.
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Attendance at this conference provided opportunities to enrich the BCI program’s partnership with members of BCI-CAN, a pan-Canadian partnership which includes Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, the Alberta Children's Hospital, and the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, and establish new relationships with internationally renowned BCI researchers and industry partners. The Imagination Centre team was part of a small contingent of attendees highlighting research and innovation in pediatric BCI. Along with partners from BCI-CAN and the UMC Utrecht Brain Centre in the Netherlands, the team presented an interactive workshop focused on considerations for pediatric BCI applications. They also presented two scientific posters on pediatric BCI research studies currently underway at the Glenrose. These presentations were well-received and have helped establish the Imagination Centre at the Glenrose Hospital as a global leader in pediatric BCI.
Corinne Tuck, BCI Program Clinical Lead, presenting in the workshop, “Building for pediatric populations: Real-world lessons, initiatives, and imperatives to empower children to use BCI systems”.
Representatives of BCI-CAN at the BCI Society Meeting in Belgium.
BCI Game Jam 2022
December 2022
Creative new ways for everyone to play
December 2 - 4, 2022, the Imagination Centre hosted a BCI Games Game Jam.
Teams of developers were given 48 hours to develop a new video game intended for play using brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, rather than the typical handheld controller. Over the course of the weekend, the video game developers learned about BCI and what makes an exceptional BCI game. Kids that use BCI to play video games also weighed in on what they would like to see in the games they play.
The Game Jam took place at the University of Alberta’s Assistive Technology Lab, where engineering graduate students and the Imagination Centre team were on site all weekend to answer questions and help the developers refine their ideas into amazing, creative games.
Other host sites for this year’s Game Jam were Calgary, Alberta and Los Angeles, California. There were a grand total of 17 game submissions that made the 48-hour cutoff. Children that use BCI judged the games based on a number of different criteria to select the winners in different categories. Winners received cash prizes and support from BCI Games to help refine and polish the games.
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The Imagination Centre team was thrilled to participate in this year’s game jam and are looking forward to having new and exciting video games to play with individuals that participate in our BCI clinical and research programs.
Thanks to all the developers who participated in this year's event.