AI & SPATIAL EXPERIMENTS
I am engaged in personal research involving AI, Machine Learning, EEG, and BCI technologies. I'm also a heavy VR user and experiment a lot with it.
These are some examples of what I've been doing recently in each field.
EEG Personal Lab - AI & Neuroscience
For the past 6 months I've conducting personal research on BCI technologies and having fun with a Emotiv Insight 5-Channel Wireless EEG Headset. This device allows me to capture my brain's electrical signals, utilizing machine learning to interpret mental states and allowing me to control technology through thought-command mapping.
I'm currently working on connecting an Emotiv Insight 2.0 headset to an Arduino to control a light bulb using brain signals.
I've successfully trained the device to execute digital actions via brain commands, but my next step is to extend it beyond the screen.
It's essentially a bit of Python coding to get the EEG data from the headset and then translating that into commands the Arduino can understand to switch the light on and off. It's more of a personal research project, really. Exploring how brain-computer interfaces can be applied in practical scenarios. I think it's fascinating seeing how these signals can actually interact with the physical world and how much it can help people.
I'm also making casual recordings of my brain activity in various situations, like when I'm playing or listening to music, focusing on emotional memories, meditating, and working. Pretty cool to have such a clear view of what's happening in our brains.
This is my main area of interest currently, so if you have any interesting projects where we could collaborate, please reach out to juaco.carriquiry@gmail.com.
Custom GPTs - International University of Applied Sciences
I developed a custom GPT model specifically designed to address a broad spectrum of university-related inquiries, including those questions that are typically difficult to find answers to on the official University channels.
The model was trained on the conversation history from our Bachelor's program WhatsApp group, after carefully removing any personal information. This dataset, rich with questions from newcomers and answers from experienced students, served as an awesome resource for training.
I'm currently focusing on enhancing my skills in PyTorch, exploring fine-tuning with Python and machine learning. My aim is to refine the model's performance by adjusting loss functions, experimenting with various optimization algorithms, and fine-tuning learning rate schedules.
For more information about this project or possible collaborations, feel free to contact me directly at juaco.carriquiry@gmail.com
World Mental Health Day - VR Installation (2020)
In January 2020, I was contacted by the National Institution of Human Rights (INDDHH) and the United Nations (UN) in Uruguay to develop their entire campaign for International World Mental Health Day.
The core of the campaign I created was a one-week installation in the basement of the Centro Cultural Español (CCE), featuring various activities, including a VR immersive station. This station was designed to allow visitors to experience the interior of Vilardebo, a public Mental Health Institution.
This would involve photogrammetry techniques to capture detailed 3D images of the facility's interiors tu use as the foundational reference for accurately reconstructing the hospital's hallways and rooms in Blender.
In the development stage we would integrate the 3D models, design the user interactions, and optimize the virtual environment for the Valve Index VR headset using Unity.
The chosen VR headset was the Valve Index, which employs Lighthouse base stations for precise 3 x 3 meters room-scale tracking of the user's movements.
Little did we know, two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic would reach Uruguay, rendering the initiative unfeasible due to the health risks associated with shared use of the VR headset.
For more information about this project or possible collaborations, feel free to contact me directly at juaco.carriquiry@gmail.com
