Mindset

Mindset aims to increase the coverage of STEM-education to socio-economically marginalized girls and women. One effective way to inspire passion for STEM is through hands-on opportunities--Activities such as building a robot institutes a crucial sense of accomplishment. However, these opportunities are a privilege. A full set of LEGO-Mindstorm costs upwards of $300. We strive to make these opportunities affordable and innovative, by integrating BCI to our open learning platform. We will distribute EEG headbands to marginalized users--or even teach them to build one at home--so they can utilize our platform to construct their own EEG-based application, without prior programming experience. If scaled globally, the novelty of BCI will compel users to start exploring the countless possibilities BCI has to offer. Many of them will want to dive deeper into the computer and neuroscience behind our product, and go on to become future programmers, doctors, and scientists.

Women are often marginalized in certain societies, specifically in India. Only one out of 100 girls enrolled in school in India complete grade twelve. 38% of secondary school-aged girls in India are not in school.  Even more are likely to drop out early because of gender norms, poverty, or child marriage: females over the age of 25 with secondary education consists only 39% of the entire population. Most girls don’t have the support from their family and community, if not blatant opposition, to explore their interests. This phenomenon drastically limited the career outcome of females - 73.8% of women are not in the workforce--which, consequently, creates a negative feedback loop of male dominance in the traditional family. While the ultimate goal is to eradicate gender inequalities globally, we must acknowledge existing social constructs that limit the education of girls & women, and develop solutions that can circumvent these barriers. Our product is one such solution, where females will be able to gain expertise in cutting edge technology from home, without significant time or monetary investment. 

We seek to create a cheap(<$15) EEG development kit consisting of an EEG gadget and a mobile app platform that uses Scratch-like visual programming to interact with the brainwave signals from the gadget. The hardware has two electrodes that will be attached behind the ears. Each of them will connect to the user's mobile phone with Bluetooth. The hardware primarily serves to make learning to code more tangible and interactive, so that the user won't feel like they're learning in a vacuum. The app uses code blocks to create the control flow of data, so even beginners can easily get into making simple games and animations controlled by live-streamed brainwaves. Advanced users can also use raw brainwaves to build and train neural network classifiers. As artificial intelligence technologies improve day by day, we will continue adding new neural network architectures like transformer and attention mechanisms. Users can also share their projects on the online platform from within the app, and collaboration can be facilitated between users--much like Solve's collaborative platform. 

Smartphone use has skyrocketed over the last decade and has penetrated every place on Earth. By 2025, nearly three-quarters of internet users will use smartphones. Our target country, India, has a quarter of their 1.37 billion people using smartphones as of 2019; and that number is only projected to grow as third-party telecommunications companies are rising and the technology sector continues to thrive in Silicon-Valley like hubs such as Bangalore. Regardless, the need for female advancements in these fields is necessary and the spark might just be something a girl can access and use solely at home. Through cheap EEG technologies and an easy-to-use interface accessible on any device capable of Bluetooth and internet, Mindset aims to grant girls a hands-on-approach to STEM learning that they can do with accessible resources while also upholding domestic responsibilities at home. By having an intimate connection with their learning, girls are encouraged to learn and explore activities and projects. Empowering them machine-learning applications in EEG data classification, we can see a huge increase in the number of females interested in promising fields such as neuroscience and computer science and grant them cutting-edge expertise in exponential fields such as artificial intelligence and brain-computer-interfaces.

The core features of our solution can be summed up to an interest driven, sandbox learning experience. In contrast to conventional online learning modules, our interface does not spoon-feed knowledge to users; Instead, it encourages explorative learning behaviors. This means that aside from transmitting technical skills to marginalized females, our solution also equips them with the ability to actively extract knowledge from the environment, when educational opportunities are scarce. We believe our solution has the potential to permanently lift girls and women above educational barriers, especially in places like India, where the tech-sector is booming. 

Due to the uniqueness, yet abstractness of our idea, there aren't necessarily any competitors utilizing hands-on BCI learning to spark STEM interest in young girls. Rather, there are other companies further innovating in the field of BCI to progress the technology and advance the hardware and appropriate software to where it can be far more impactful:

BrainCo - They have a BrainCo STEM Kit for hands-on-learning in school but to set it up it requires too much resource allocation including a laptop. Their kit is also focused on hardware building - not a focus of our solution since we want to spark curiosity and learning.

OpenBCI - Their materials and products are well established for being dependable but are not practical for poorer countries due to costs. They also appeal to a large market of people interested in BCIs, rather than educational purposes.

LEGO - As stated previously, the LEGO robots and kits are far too expensive to set up.

Neurable - They are working towards creating “the everyday BCI” and are   utilizing similar machine-learning to classify their EEG data. Their approach is focused on streamlining various tasks, such as IoT and smart-home, through BCI technology rather than educating or sparking interest in children.

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is a direct communication pathway between an enhanced wired brain and an external device, such as a computer. The most common way to detect people’s brain activity is through Electroencephalography (EEG), a non-invasive method that can be achieved by placing electrodes on their scalp. Then the electrical activity can be analyzed and visualized in an electric brain graph. Our solution uses electrodes (channels) to detect users’ brainwaves and then process the data using machine learning models. The signals from the headband will not be useful unless we process it in a certain way that reflects the behavior of our brain. With the new development in artificial intelligence, robust algorithms will be able to clean the data and recognize the hidden pattern under the noises. We aim at building an API that not only allows our end-users to utilize different types of brainwaves (alpha, beta, etc...) to build fun applications but also enables them to create and train neural networks to create complicated classifiers. We will integrate the different neural network architectures as draggable blocks.

EEG has been used to diagnose brain conditions such as seizures and dizziness in hospitals for decades now. Doctors nowadays are using an RNS system to treat epilepsy in which it attempts to control seizures by sending small pulses of energy to the brain. In recent years, EEG devices have also been developed for commercial use. Companies like BrainCo are developing prostheses that are controlled by brainwaves to help the patients to grab the coffee. Companies such as Neuralink and Kernel are also leading the race in BCI technology with strong leaders such as Elon Musk and Bryan Johnson pushing the limits of neural technologies with ambitious goals; even as far as combining AI with our brains and essentially making technology a physical part of us. The brainwaves of the human brain encode enormous amounts of information about one’s mental state--a research paper in 2011 has demonstrated with statistical evidence that a EEG device can be used to discern whether or not a person is too tired to drive. Detecting it with an EEG opens up a new dimension of user interactivity .

Problem:

Gender norms + lack of support from family and community→ leave formal education→ no focus on STEM fields→ stay home to manage domestic chores or other siblings→ limited career placement→ get married→ financial dependency on the men→ depressed social status→ more deeply entrenched gender-based expectations for offsprings→ self perpetuating cycle

Our solution targets the space between staying at home and career placement as its the perfect time for our framework(below) to reach maximum impact:

Activity - distributing affordable EEG gadgets, and provide individual guidance through various mentorship/internship programs

Output - learn neuroscience/AI in spare time, interact with peers in our platform, spark interest in STEM

Short-term outcomes - curiosity in STEM and increased importance of education 

Middle-term outcomes - Increased job placement for females, and consequently increased financial independence

Long-term outcomes - Elevated social status of females leading to large scale family reform

Since our mission statement is to make EEG devices accessible, we can simply reduce the financial barrier thus opening up access to a large population. In addition, our target audiences have the time and resources to implement our solutions given being at home. As we reach more users, we will shift our focus towards mentorship programs and contests, laying out a clearer path towards career and intellectual development. We hope to cause a domino effect in reform to create a better India and world for young-women.

Current: <100 - Number of people who’ve been using our prototype, and consistently providing feedback

One Year: 500+ - As we obtain/manufacture more EEG headbands, we’ll be able to conduct test run on larger samples in different regions

Five Years: 8000+ - We expect to drastically increase the volume of users as we move beyond the product testing phase

We hope that our solution is able to touch the lives of many girls in marginalized places, such as India, and able to help empower them to seek change and reform in their own lives and the lives of all the girls around them. We hope that, through word of mouth, other girls are also interested in learning - like a domino effect. We hope that over the next 5 years we are able to form hundreds of local communities within India through our platform and are able to distribute low-cost EEG gadgets to thousands of families. We hope that other organizations are able to see the value of empowering the next generation of builders and innovators and are able to invest in their lives with just as much importance as they invest in their own workers. We hope that local boards of education also see this value and implementation in action and are able to lead their own initiatives. We know our solution is not a one-and-done answer for marginalized girls in education or STEM. The problem is far more complex than any one thing to solve it. Instead, we aim to help spark the fire to ignite a revolution.

Technical:

-Precision of current EEG headband 

-Limitations of varying cell phone computation power for ML applications (ie. a classifier)  

Financial:

-EEG costs for distribution in poor areas

-Acquiring initial funds to purchase, advertise, and distribute EEG electrodes 

-Consistent source of funding

Legal: 

-Business license in United States and India

-Tax/regulatory concerns

-Intellectual property 

-Exclusive vending rights

-Non-disclosure Agreement 

-User privacy

Cultural:

-Difficult to advertise our product, due to local people’s limited level of education

-Gender norms of girls in tech/girls pursuing education (family might be reluctant to let girls spend their spare time on our product) 

-Those without access to cell phone or similar devices may be further marginalized

Technical:

-EarEEG (offers greater usability via discreet appearance and improved comfort. Already, many people regularly wear devices in their ears like earbud headphones, which could potentially integrate earEEG. costly custom-fitted earpieces, generic silicon rubber earpieces may also be feasible and wet electrodes may not be necessary to achieve desirable impedance levels)

-Cloud computing for classifiers (contract with cloud computing services)

-Develop an universal adaptable bluetooth module 

Financial:

-Angel investor & VC

-Grants 

-Sponsorship

-Donation

Legal:

-Sign a distribution form/binding agreement/non-disclosure agreement with (local dealers)

-Apply for 501(c)(3) tax exemption

Cultural:

-Hold local events & workshop (include some form of incentive)

-Collaborate with local institutions/nonprofits/boards of education

-Designate a budget for personal device aid

N/A

Full-time staff: 7

Part-time staff: 3

Technology/business consultant(part-time): 4

The core members of our team are primarily high school and rising undergraduate students. We are excited about social entrepreneurship and, as demonstrated by our past experiences, feel comfortable utilizing cutting edge technologies to solve real world problems in creative ways. 

Some of us have/are :

1. Started a culinary business at the age of 15; Fundraised over $2000; Co-founded a cost-effective model that helps the individual learner to achieve maximum efficiency in learning; Developed a recommendation deck for BSE Global(Barclays Center) as a business consultant. 

2. Selected to join BlockchainsForSchools, a national 501c3 operated by high school students. Responsible for outreach presence in the Greater NY area to launch blockchain related programs.

3. Currently researching BCIs and its impact on healthcare, education, and human intelligence. 

4. An Innovator at TKS at Microsoft with a BCI focus.

5. Enrolled at Boston College to study Neuroscience but taking a gap year to work on the startup full-time. 

6. A Full stack mobile developer.

7. Experienced in mobile development, machine learning (DL, RL), and data science. Have some experience in web development.

8. Interned at Citic Groups for prototyping data visualization dashboard. Building data pipeline for its audit database.

9. Interned at New Jersey Blockchain Center. Led Marketing events in NJ, partnered with Tech companies to host NJBC campaigns, and collaborated with Blockchain educators to increase blockchain literacy in adults.

   
   

Muse: EEG Hardware Support

McKinsey: Business Development 

Mindus: Streaming Service

TKS: Online Learning Platform + Internship Program + Mentorship Program

Mindset’s product consists of an online learning platform and low-cost EEG gadgets. We plan to reach our end users through local institutions, organizations, and governments whose goals align with ours. This will ensure that marginalized females will gain access to our product for a minimum price. Our customers include the regional boards of education, educational institutions, and NGOs (Smile Foundation, Nanhi Kali, etc.); Our key beneficiaries are unemployed/under-educated girls & women and their family. We will start by conducting a three month test run within a locality. If convincing results are produced, we will be able to consider scaling our project to a national level. Major costs at this phase include: Manufacture, distribution, and operation. As we enter the second phase, we will be launching exponentially more mentorship/workshop opportunities, aimed at providing a clear pathway to job placement and intellectual growth for our end users, which will require a growing budget. Maintenance--the cost of dynamically adjusting our online platform--will also increase as the platform becomes more volatile with a growing user base. Ideally, our intervention will result in an immediate elevated interest in STEM--and formal education in general--for females. This will gradually translate to shifts across multiple quantifiable metrics, most notably higher adult literacy rates and lower unemployment rates. Our revenue will be generated from:Asset sale: 40%, Lending/Renting/Leasing: 30%, Licensing: 20%, Advertising: 10%. Surpluses will primarily be used for hardware development, where we aim to further lower the price of EEG headbands without compromising its precision. 

Our integrated revenue model is aligned with our social objective. We use a service subsidized business model in which we sell our EEG gadgets to individual customers outside of the third-world country in order to help fund our services and social programs in India. In Phase 1, we plan to raise investment capital and use personal savings as a launchpad. In Phase 2, we will apply for grants and use our integrated business model to sell products elsewhere, in return to subsidize our low-income clients (girls and young women in India) who cannot afford our product. (even though our gadgets are designed to be affordable)

We are applying to Solve because we seek visibility and invaluable insights from professionals. With the MIT-backed network, we hope to work effectively with fellow professors and practicing entrepreneurs who have the same passion as we do, to further develop the technology of ML and BCIs, and to gain valuable insights on our solution model. Our team has a collaborative spirit in which we seek to work with professionals from cross-department labs such as McGovern Institute and MIT Media Lab. We were fortunate to get to know Dr. Guoping Feng who has recently published an article on SOUL - an non-invasive way to modulate people’s brain activity. We were inspired by the proximity of a world renowned professor and his generosity which together played a huge role in cementing our appreciation for the community at MIT. By collaborating with the Solve Team, we can further refine our technology, as well as our funding model. Additionally, we believe the Solve Team will guide us through all the legal and Intellectual property issues. Since we are high school students, we may lack experience in those fields. As a team, we’d like to seize these unparalleled opportunities MIT provides--seed money, mentorship, or even interesting lectures, and we’d like to join the shared mission of propelling humanity forward.

We hope to work with engineering students from MIT to develop the next generation of wearable EarEEG with the lowest cost possible. Specifically, we’d like to have Professor Zen Chu from Sloan who is experienced both in technological innovation and strategic management to help us further refine our business model. With the help from McGovern Institute, we hope to use Feng’s Lab and collaborate with other neuroscientists to further develop our EEG hardware. Moreover, Solve can provide us with funds to buy, research, advertise, and distribute EEG electrodes. By receiving mentorship from Solve, we will apply for business license in US and India, IP, and exclusive Vending rights, etc.

We are currently working with one of the research-fellows from McGovern Institute, but in the future, we’d like to get involved with McGovern Institute on deeper level. Specifically, we’d like to receive mentorships from Robert Desimone and Guoping Feng to help us develop EEG gadgets in a more innovative yet feasible way. Additionally, we’d like to work with Sloan School of Management to further refine our business model and expand our connections with people who are from our target countries. We have already reached to Prof. Zen Chu from Sloan who is experienced both in technological innovation and strategic management. We hope to nourish this relationship and potentially receive mentorship and financial support from him. We were also inspired by AlterEgo, a remarkable non-invasive BCI project incubated at MIT Innovation Lab. We’d like to surround ourselves with awesome and inspiring teams like AlterEgo at the Innovation Lab, to further develop our product and keep pushing the limits of technology.

What does it mean to improve the quality of life for someone? We think at the core of it, it means giving people more freedom to choose how they want to live their lives. While it is crucial to ensure that marginalized women and girls are free from poverty, it is equally important that their futures are not limited by the people and ideas around them. James Joyce once said: “When the soul of a man is born in this country, there are nets flung at it to hold it back from flight”. The reality is, many females in developing countries are never taught to dream big. They are blinded to the possibility of pursuing any career beyond menial labor--there’s nothing wrong with doing honest work for a living, but it shouldn’t be the only option. And this statement isn’t limited to the working class females. Women who are married to wealthy families may be materially well off, but that sometimes means even more possibilities will slam shut for them. No amount of material success can make up for unfulfilled aspirations. By allowing our users to experiment with BCIs and ML classifiers in a fun and interactive way, we hope to show them that being involved in STEM isn’t so out of reach. More than teaching them useful skills, our solution strives to lift the ‘nets’ that stops girls and women from imagining their own future, and pave a clear pathway for them to shape that future themselves. 

Inequality of education is a multi-faceted problem. From family responsibilities to financial hardships, there are many barriers that prevent girls and women from receiving the same education as men. It’s impossible to tackle all at once, but our solution is the best balance we could find in addressing each barrier as much as possible. To begin, our foremost priority is to help marginalized females recognize their potential--they can’t start learning without believing that they can--in a fun way. From there, we’d like our products to be easily accessible, financially or otherwise. Also, our product needs to be designed for highly fragmented time, so as to minimize conflicts with user’s other responsibilities. Lastly, it goes without saying that our solution must in some ways provide solid skills that can be translated to a higher social mobility. With these main objectives in mind, a combination of a cheap hardware device and a mobile friendly online platform is optimal for these purposes. We can already see our solution’s potential for impact with the limited resources we’re operating with, and we believe it will go a long way in encouraging access to learning for females globally with proper support.

Our product improves adult literacy by allowing users to program on their mobile devices and by promoting statistical thinking.As electronic devices move into every household, digital literacy becomes a crucial skill. It not only enables people to communicate faster and work more efficiently at work but it also helps to connect them to the knowledge and information around the world. By using our mobile app and building programs with EEG data, users will not only become fluent in using digital devices but also learn how to code through fun challenges. As the global IT market grows, individuals with programming skills will stand out from the rest to get more job opportunities.Our mobile app revolves around processing EEG signals to make fun applications. The process of removing noise from wave signals and doing feature extraction for machine learning models helps users to become statistical literate. In the era of big data, the demand for skilled data analysts and machine learning engineers are reaching its all time high. The ability to understand and utilize statistics will definitely benefit women and girls by preparing them to become competitive in the field. More importantly, our app develops critical thinking skills and statistical analysing skills that helps women to see the truth. This is one of the most crucial skills in the age when the media are twisting the numbers to create biased views on the controversial topics. One can think when one can see clearly.