Last Friday, July 31st, 2015, Stony Brook Happenings, an online newsletter covering events, updates, and various information concerning Stony Brook University, wrote an article on our being featured in InnovateLi!

The article on Stony Brook Happenings can be found here.

The article covers what we are doing in the lab, have done, and will be doing here in the near future. Be sure to give it a gander!

We hope to be featured somewhere new soon!

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Christopher Tasso.

InnovateLI, an online news site covering startups, biotech, IT, and clean energy on Long Island, recently wrote an article on the Innovation lab!

The Lab’s Director, David Ecker, and team member Samiha Shakil, were interviewed on what we do, have done, and are planning to do at the Innovation lab.

The article sheds light on how Stony Brook University’s Innovation Lab is a unique space on campus where students from all backgrounds can get together to design and build new products. It also focused in on the workshops and competitions that we offer and will be offering, such as the soldering workshop and our first pitch night!

InnovateLI seemed extremely impressed with all of our outreach efforts, such as our WISE workshops and our participation in the LI MakerFest.

Having this article done on the lab is very reassuring and motivating as we move forward!

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Christopher Tasso.

Ever wonder what it would be like to see music?

Recently, Allison Wood and Kei Gowda began a startup called Reify which focuses around not only hearing music, but seeing it.

Reify turns sound waves into 3-D printed sculptures that play the sound back with an augmented reality app. Wood models her startup on the neurological phenomenon Synesthesia.

Synesthesia occurs when the stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway produces automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. In the case of music, synesthetes generally tend to see colors and form. Many famous musicians have been said to have Synesthesia; most recently, it’s been Kanye West…

With Reify, Wood and Gowda aim to allow non-synesthetes the ability to experience music visually—digital synesthesia.

Reify designs a totem—a 3D printed object that represents the song—using Echo Nest API to analyze its rhythm, structure, amplification, harmony, etc. All of this data correlates to physical attributes such as weight, height, and mass. The form of the totem is finalized once the artist evaluates it, and decides whether it is a worthy representation of their work.

To hear the 3D printed musical sculpture, one must use the Reify augmented reality app. When the totem is in front of the camera, the app reads its form and will play the song to you on your phone, and begins to animate your screen—replicating the actual experience of Synesthesia.

As of now, Reify is still in its early stages as a startup, but hopefully we will see more of them in the near future!

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Christopher Tasso.

The Innovation Lab team just recently designed and made their own t-shirts!

The t-shirts include the Innovation Lab’s logo, motto, #SBUcreate, and the lab’s associations (College of Business and Research Technologies). See images below for a peek at the shirt.

The creation of the Innovation Lab’s t-shirts not only mark another step in the lab’s progress of displaying their identity and values, but also serve as a landmark in the development of the I-lab team!

This summer the Innovation Lab hired many new employees from all disciplines, ranging from Chemical Engineering to English. Being a cross-disciplinary lab, having staff from a variety of majors has helped in developing and making the lab a place for all students, no matter what they study.

Be prepared to see the I-Lab shirts this summer and the upcoming semester, as the iLab team will continue to expand and make its presence known on campus!

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Christopher Tasso.

Last week on Wednesday, July 1st, Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), brought their members to the Innovation Lab to learn about the lab and the technology we offer. The members that came were between the ages of 12-13.

Upon entering the lab, members of our team, Nancy, Allisha, Ellie, and Samiha, took them on an orientation of the lab to inform and acquaint them about the facility. The WISE members were given two presentations: one on the Green Screen and another on the 3D printer and 3D printing.

Members of the Innovation Lab team demonstrated to WISE students how to use the 3D printer, how to use TinkerCad–a 3D printing software–,how to explore with Google Cardboard, and how to take pictures using the Green Screen and use Green Screen apps.

WISE students quickly learned the information taught to them, and did not hesitate to get right started on designing with TinkerCad, taking Green Screen photos, and 3D printing.

As a complimentary gift, the Lab gave each member a 3D printed photo frame, in order for the WISE students to place their Green Screen photos in.

We look forward to seeing all of them again!

If you have an organization or club interested in visiting the lab, please contact us at: Sbu-InnovationLab@stonybrook.edu

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Christopher Tasso.

Do not be so surprised when you hear music coming from your post-it notes. Yes, you’ve read that correctly; music from your post-it notes.

Recently, David Sheinkopf, director of education at New York’s Pioneer Works Center for Art and Innovation, discovered a way to turn a post-it note into a speaker. Sheinkopf explained the process as such, “Run a current through a coil of wire, and you have an electromagnet. This pushes and pulls against a fixed magnet next to it, turning magnetomotive force into motion, which moves the Post-it and disturbs the air around it.” The disturbances this process creates are transformed into sound once they reach your eardrum.

So whats needed in order to build the post-it speaker, you may be wondering? The items are fairly simple and easy to find. You need a post-it note, a magnet wire, a strong magnet, clear tape, alligator clips, a male-to-male headphone cable, scissors, and sandpaper.

To begin making the speaker you have to prepare the magnet wire. This is done by taking 120 cm of wire and sanding away the thin enamel at the ends. This step allows the underneath copper to become visible. Next, you wind the wire around your finger, leaving 5cm at each end. Once the wire is removed from your finger, it should resemble a donut shape. The clear tape should then be used to maintain the shape.

Once the magnet wire has been prepared, you must attach the post-it note. This is done by taping your magnet to a surface and then placing the post-it note on top of the magnet. Next, tape the donut in the centre of the post-it, so it sits directly on top of the magnet.

Almost finished. After the donut is taped to the magnet, you attach the alligator clips to one end of the headphone cable. Sheinkopf says to “clip a length of prepared wire to the tip of the jack and another to the next segment. Attach the two other ends to the magnet wires coming off your wire loop.” After this, in order to begin listening, you plug the opposite end of the headphone cable into a phone or media player.

And voila! You’ve made your very own post-it speaker. To obtain the best listening experience, it is advised that you press your ear against the surface the speaker is taped to.

MoodGYM is an online interactive program that provides free mental help support. The website was started in Australia in 2004 as a trial to treat depression patients. Since then, it has crossed international barriers and is now offered in 6 languages. It has more than 800,000 people from 222 countries registered in its database.

MoodGYM focuses on the process of cognitive therapy. It consists of five modules, an interactive game, anxiety and depression assessments, downloadable relaxation audio, a workbook and feedback assessment.

Using flashed diagrams and online exercises, MoodGYM teaches the principles of cognitive behavior therapy – a proven treatment for depression. It also demonstrates the relationship between thoughts and emotions, and works through dealing with stress and relationship break-ups, as well as teaching relaxation and meditation techniques.”  – MoodGYM website

It seeks to change the way the user thinks about themselves, battling both depression and anxiety. However, MoodGYM does not let user self diagnose themselves. A new user is put through a series of quizzes and exercises. Cognitive therapy has proved to work in face-to-face therapy and now it is proven to work through online interactions. Kathy Griffins from the Australia National University said that those who have used MoodGYM have reported to have done better in terms of depression, with a reduction in anxiety and even alcohol use.

MoodGYM and other online therapy/mental health programs like it, is just another way technology is increasingly blending into the medical field. With growing technology, advances in medicine are constantly happening; however, this is especially important in mental health for two reasons. One being that the statistics of those suffering from mental health issues is a vast amount of a majority of people. The other being that most people who have mental health issues do not seek treatment, actually about a third of those do not, whether that be for costs or personal reasons.

When MoodGYM first came out it was very controversial. Some thought, it was unethical and harmful. However, it has opened up the door for other programs to offer mental health support. This type of online therapy is innovative, mostly because it is creating convenience. People who are seeking support for mental health issues have less of an excuse to put off getting help. MoodGYM is also innovative because it is an online program that not only treats mental health issues but, a training program. It seeks to prevent mental health issues in youths. This is one of the first programs to build games and exercises that work the brain in a way to prevent any future mental issues. They do this by changing the way the user thinks about themselves and training the brain to recognizing toxic thoughts.

Read the New York Times Article about MoodGYM here. 

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Alysha Bullock.

This tiny new Microsoft device has the power to fill the world around you with 3D holograms. The holograms are supposed to be convincing enough that the consumer would think they were real. Recently, debuted at Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, the Hololens has the power to revolutionize gaming and Virtual Reality. It is sleek and futuristic looking compared to it’s competitors like the Oculus Rift.

However, the device has one major problem, a tiny field of view. Because the field of view is so small, those who have already used the device say that the user is aware of the edges of their virtual world. This makes it impractical for use and still just a prototype. Microsoft was given this feedback and at E3 where Microsoft  executive Kudo Tsunoda said “The hardware isn’t final so none of the things are completely done. I think you’re never going to get to full peripheral field of view, but certainly the hardware we have the field of view isn’t exactly final. But I wouldn’t say it’s going to be hugely noticeably different either.”

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Alysha Bullock.

3-D Printer 

 Green Screen 

UltraSound Sonar with John Leon 

Google Cardboard 

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Alysha Bullock.

This was an exciting week for the Innovation Lab. In the mist of preparing for our debut at Long Island Maker Festival: we were included in a Newsday article, visited the Yale CEID, and got a demo of the new Z Space by Computer Logic.

Tuesday

The Innovation Lab was included in Tuesday’s article of Newsday “Long Island Maker Festival: 6 Things to Check Out,” for our 3-D printer build. At the festival we will also be showcasing a green screen demo, Google Cardboard, and Ultra Sound Sonar demonstration. For everything on the Newsday list, read the article below.

http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/family/long-island-maker-festival-3-d-printing-robots-and-more-1.10510923

Wednesday 

The Innovation Lab visited the Yale Center for Engineering Innovation and Design on. We were excited to see the strides taken by Yale in their own cross discipline lab.  The Yale CEID is engineering focused but, calls for all different interests to get involved. They even have a sewing station, wet lab, wood shop and metal shop. They have a growing partnership with their medical personal, which sometime in the future will begin to hold classes in the CEID as other professors do.

Thursday 

On Thursday, the Innovation Lab was visited by Computer Logic Group, a small Long Island company that specialized in in Cloud Computing, providing business Customized IT Solutions, Data backup and Network Integration. CLG came in to show the lab a demo of their Z Space. The Z Space is a real world virtual reality system that blends the real world with the virtual, creating never-before-seen experiences, naturally integrated into life. The Z Space is being capitalized by the education system. Schools throughout Long Island are implementing the Z Space into their K-12 curriculum. The Innovation Lab employees got to dissect hearts and learn about the anatomy of lions. We’d like to thank CLG for coming in and showing us their innovative product.

Originally posted on SBU Innovation Lab Blog by Alysha Bullock.