Ames startup Brainsoft has been awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $256,000 to conduct research and development work on using brainwaves in virtual reality applications.
Brainsoft develops technologies for using human brainwaves to control objects and studies the relations of the human brain activities to the emotional and intellectual states. The project addresses the VR developers’ challenge of creating interfaces that enable intuitive navigation and seeks to provide capabilities for deriving the user’s mental and emotional states, thus facilitating objective user feedback.
“Brainsoft LLC aims to translate current research advances on intercepting and analyzing human brainwaves to benefit the society,” said Dr. Ben Othmane, CEO of Brainsoft. “We are working on developing technologies that simplify our interactions with the world and applied research to understand the human behavior.”
Once a business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $275,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II grant (up to $1,000,000). Small businesses with Phase II funding are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales.
“NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering,” said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs.”