CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Hold that thought – and Johann Rischau, a graduate student in industrial design at the University of Illinois, will etch it in wood. Rischau has come up with a way to capture brain waves, run them through a computer and into a CNC (computer numerical control) router that can engrave a graphic image of the waves onto a piece of wood. It’s all part of his thesis on physical fabrication.
“You can buy products that are mass produced – everybody has the same thing,” Rischau says. “I’m interested in seeing whether I’m able to connect people instantly, on a very personal and intimate level, to objects.”
Working with Robert E. McGrath, a software developer at the U. of I. National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Rischau has created “the NeuroMaker.” The components are relatively inexpensive – a headset with sensors, a computer running McGrath’s software program, and a router Rischau constructed from a kit he ordered online. He will be demonstrating and tinkering with his creation at Figure One, the exhibition space in downtown Champaign run by the U. of I. School of Art and Design. Rischau will be at an opening reception 6-8 p.m. Friday (Feb. 11) and then will be at the exhibition space during its regular hours through Feb. 17.
“The idea is that people can come in here and go through the process of recording a thought in the form of their brain waves, and this will be engraved into a small object which they can take home,” Rischau said. (See video.)
Rischau is part of the yearlong “10 to Watch” series featuring student artists in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Jimmy Luu, a professor of graphic design and coordinator of Figure One, says Rischau’s work is in keeping with the spirit of the space – to showcase student work in progress, and allow them to get feedback on their ideas.
“The idea is that you get to observe him -working through these really fascinating ideas that he’s developing,” Luu said. “I’m excited by this project because Johann is actively pursuing ideas that will shape the future of industrial design.”
Figure One is at 116 N. Walnut St., Champaign. It is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 6 to 9 p.m. on Fridays.
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