Cellular Ears
Music transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries, evoking emotional responses in people across the globe. But how is this universal power of music perceived and processed by our nervous system?
Our brain can instantly analyze the complex elements of music and recognize its features. This project investigates the fundamental mechanisms of music recognition using cerebral organoids, shedding light on the intrinsic relationship between the art form of music and the biological systems of life.
- 2025
- Cerebral organoids, electrical stimulation device, software, speakers, displays
Description
This exhibition showcases the experimental process of exploring how cerebral organoids recognize music.
Music undergoes a process that emulates the frequency analysis performed by the human inner ear. It is then delivered to the cerebral organoid as an optogenetic stimulation, effectively "playing" the music to the organoid. The responses from the cerebral organoid are subsequently analyzed.
The experiment involves varying the types of music played to the cerebral organoid (e.g., techno, classical, ambientnoise) and analyzing the organoid’s responses (such as timing and pattern changes in output). These results are compared against cases where inputs like "noisesilence" or a "440 Hz pure sine wave" are used.
Technical details
Hardware
-
MacBookPro
- FFT analysis (AiK)
- Video editing
- Clustering analysis
- Digital micromirror device
- Cerebral organoids (eight connected)
- High-density microelectrode array system
- Display 75 inch
- Speaker
System configuration diagram
Optical stimulation
Chip1 – 10 sec during Stimulation
Chip1 – 1 sec after Stimulation
Chip2 – 10 sec during Stimulation
Chip2 – 1 sec after Stimulation
Screen capture
