We are pleased to announce that our manuscript formally describing the SpikerBox development, four experiments, and some classroom deployments, was released yesterday in PLoS ONE. Notably, this journal does not charge to view articles, so people anywhere around the world can download, read, use, and critique the work free of charge. How is this possible? […]

If you’ve followed us over the past couple years, you’ll know we have been slowly working on a MicroManipulator to allow you to do more precise neural recordings instead of just “blindly” inserting electrodes in a cockroach leg, cricket, or earthworm. We’ve had prototypes of manipulators for about as long as we’ve been in existence, […]

We are proud to have run many workshops in the Midwest, but co-founder Tim has longed to bring spikes to the Texas plains he recalls from his early years (he graduated from high school in El Paso and went to college in Austin). Thus, it was with great delight when Emily Verla Bovino, artist-in-residence with […]

We hereby announce our 2-Channel SpikerBox. What can you do with it? Why, you can measure the speed of spikes as they travel down a nerve, in a truly “backyard” preparation using Earthworms. See our full experiment write up on how to do it! How fast is a spike? Faster than a car, faster than […]

We have been slowly rolling out our RoboRoach kits (we started shipping our beta units in late March 2011, and we have shipped 14 so far), and today we received some reports from the field. Robert Uglesich, a Professor at Cooper Union in Manhattan, used our RoboRoach kits this summer to teach high school students […]

It’s time for our second teacher workshop! In collaboration with the great folks at the SquareOne Education Network, we are hosting a teacher workshop on June 24th, 2011, whereby if you are a teacher within driving distance of the greater Detroit area, you can spend a day building your own SpikerBox amplifier and running experiments […]

Thanks to all who donated! The mission of FundScience is to get the public directly involved in funding scientific enterprise, so, of course, where did the $512.20 we raised actually go? Did it dump right into indirect costs? No way! Our organization develops low-cost neurotechnology, and the support of FundScience helped enable the building of […]

We have run workshops for students, but now it’s time for the teachers!In collaboration with the great folks at the SquareOne Education Network, we are hosting a teacher workshop on March 23rd, 2011 whereby, if you are a teacher within driving distance of the greater Detroit area, you can spend a day building your own […]

We have been slowly distributing ourSpikerBoxes to high schools (nine so far), in efforts to bring the sound of spikes to physics and biology labs around the country. Letizia Judd, biology teacher atSt. Mary’s Preparatory School in Orchard Lake, MI, recently purchased a fullDIY classroom kit, where even (off-menu) the stimulation and iPhone cables were […]

The SpikerBox has gone through 7 development cycles, but we know it can be better. Designing electronics and experiments is one of the most fun things we do here at Backyard Brains, and we now announce our Penaeidae Prize! Can you design a better SpikerBox? Deadline is May 15th, and the winner will have their […]

We’ve often been told “I’d love to make a SpikerBox kit, but I can’t solder!” Well, if you live near the Backyard Brains World Headquarters (a living room in Ann Arbor, MI) you are in luck. We are putting on a “Make and Take” workshop on Sunday, December 5th. This workshop will teach you everything […]

Another common request we get from users is “Can you stimulate the leg as well?” to which we have always replied, “Yes, there are some stimulation circuits we can build, we have that idea in the queue.” Which means, of course, that the idea is relegated to the backlog of the many cool things we […]