Above is a representation of former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart’s brain. It will be used on his upcoming tour as both a visual and as a way for his mind to power the stage’s lighting. Hart explains:
“I was just looking at it and watching it fire, and you see the colors moving and the different rhythm patterns and realizing, that’s me!”
We specify “representation” because the visuals are part of a collaboration between Hart and UCSF researcher Adam Gazzaley. Gazzaley is quick to say that the images are stylized for the sake of special effects, but the method in which to read Hart’s brain in real time has much larger scientific and medical implications.