In this paper we describe a neuro-feedback system and applications we designed and deployed to help vulnerable children at an NGO-funded school, called Nepal House Kaski, in Pokhara, Nepal. The system, called Mind-Full, enables traumatized children to learn and practice self-regulation by playing simple, culturally appropriate games using an EEG headset connected to an interactive tablet. Children can interact with Mind-Full using body actions that may change their physiology and brain states, which are sensed by the EEG headset and used as input to the games. One of the key challenges was to build an application that the children could immediately understand how to use when they are illiterate, don't speak English and have no computer experience. We describe Mind-Full and highlight the design principles we used to meet these constraints. We report on a subset of findings from a 14-week field experiment in which we use a mixed-methods approach to determine if children improved their ability to self-regulate during gameplay as well as in the classroom, playground and in therapy sessions. Findings from quantitative and qualitative assessment measures suggest that the treatment group significantly improved their ability to calm down and focus in a variety of contexts.

The popularity of Nintendo's Wii is indicative of a fundamental change in the relationship between humans and computers. After decades of subservience to the keyboard and mouse, there is now a reawakening of our kinesthetic and proprioceptive senses. In this paper I am suggesting that the body be understood not merely as the controller of multimedia systems, but as a component within these systems and as a unique medium unto itself. I will demonstrate an application of this idea by describing a mixed reality system that was constructed to assist with the exploration of proprioceptive and kinesthetic awareness. The paper also includes a review of the informal experiments that I conducted using this system to explore possible kinesthetic and proprioceptive illusions.

The Meatbook, an interactive art installation, explores the use of a novel tangible interface to provoke a visceral response in the viewer. The Meatbook presents the symbiosis of the mechanical and the organic as it simultaneously juxtaposes the conflicting materiality of these media. Sensors, motors and other mechanics are used to animate the meat, generating movements specifically designed to produce visceral, even cathartic responses from the user. By simultaneously generating revulsion and fascination, the user undergoes an embodied experience in which the alien and the familiar come together in the form of a book.