Comments on: Biofeedback setting 1 working and slightly better than anticipated http://britishengineeringsystems.com/2008/09/12/biofeedback-setting-1-working-and-slightly-better-than-anticipated/ Blog of an Engineer (amongst other things) Sun, 20 May 2012 10:21:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: peter http://britishengineeringsystems.com/2008/09/12/biofeedback-setting-1-working-and-slightly-better-than-anticipated/#comment-1343 peter Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:34:08 +0000 http://britishengineeringsystems.com/2008/09/12/biofeedback-setting-1-working-and-slightly-better-than-anticipated/#comment-1343 I was going to have a go at a low pass filtered random system where the random number only dictates how big and in which direction the next jump will be. If the max size of a jump is significantly smaller than the range of outputs then the device will effectively wander up and down the range. i like the "lucky dip" idea. There are all sorts of other possibilities but this is why i have a bootloader so that new patterns and functions can be added at a later date. I was going to have a go at a low pass filtered random system where the random number only dictates how big and in which direction the next jump will be. If the max size of a jump is significantly smaller than the range of outputs then the device will effectively wander up and down the range.
i like the “lucky dip” idea.

There are all sorts of other possibilities but this is why i have a bootloader so that new patterns and functions can be added at a later date.

]]> By: Larry http://britishengineeringsystems.com/2008/09/12/biofeedback-setting-1-working-and-slightly-better-than-anticipated/#comment-1340 Larry Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:08:32 +0000 http://britishengineeringsystems.com/2008/09/12/biofeedback-setting-1-working-and-slightly-better-than-anticipated/#comment-1340 Peter, Congrats on getting your system working. One aspect I'm interested in for such toys is using "limited randomness" as part of such a toy. By limited randomness, I mean that the response isn't totally random, but neither is it so constant (or such a clear pattern) that a user can get entirely used to it. So (for example) the duty cycle might be random, but only within a range that's chosen -- for that stage in use -- pleasurable and/or maddeningly teasing. Another possible use of randomness is to have your CPU "roll the dice" at the beginning, and decide which (of several pre-programmed) scenarios it will run *without* telling the subject which one it has selected. So the subject doesn't know whether they're getting a quicky or a long-slow tantalization. A last note: if you're not happy with your pressure sensor, here's a company that makes amazingly sensitive (and pre-amplified) ones: http://www.allsensors.com/ -- for example, http://www.allsensors.com/datasheets/commercial_temp/DS-0032_RevA.pdf measures fractional inches H2O -- thus even smaller fraction of a PSI. (Sorry for the barbarian units.) HTH, Larry Peter,

Congrats on getting your system working. One aspect I’m interested in for such toys is using “limited randomness” as part of such a toy. By limited randomness, I mean that the response isn’t totally random, but neither is it so constant (or such a clear pattern) that a user can get entirely used to it. So (for example) the duty cycle might be random, but only within a range that’s chosen — for that stage in use — pleasurable and/or maddeningly teasing.

Another possible use of randomness is to have your CPU “roll the dice” at the beginning, and decide which (of several pre-programmed) scenarios it will run *without* telling the subject which one it has selected. So the subject doesn’t know whether they’re getting a quicky or a long-slow tantalization.

A last note: if you’re not happy with your pressure sensor, here’s a company that makes amazingly sensitive (and pre-amplified) ones: http://www.allsensors.com/
– for example, http://www.allsensors.com/datasheets/commercial_temp/DS-0032_RevA.pdf
measures fractional inches H2O — thus even smaller fraction of a PSI. (Sorry for the barbarian units.)

HTH,

Larry

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