WEBVTT

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[dramatic percussion music]

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- HEY, WELCOME
TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."

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I'M YOUR HOST,
VINCE WHITFIELD.

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HAVE YOU EVER HEARD
OF BIOFEEDBACK?

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KNOW WHAT IT IS?

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YOU PROBABLY GET
THE FEEDBACK PART.

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FEEDBACK IS THE RETURN
OF INFORMATION

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ABOUT THE RESULT
OF A PROCESS OR ACTIVITY.

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IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU WRITE
A PAPER FOR CLASS

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AND YOU TURN IT IN

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AND THE TEACHER LETS YOU KNOW
WHAT'S RIGHT AND WRONG WITH IT.

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THAT'S FEEDBACK.

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AND YOU PROBABLY ALSO KNOW
THAT "BIO"

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IS TALKING ABOUT LIFE
OR LIFE PROCESSES.

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SO BIOFEEDBACK USES
PHYSICAL SIGNALS FROM OUR BODIES

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TO LET US KNOW
ABOUT OUR BODY'S PROCESSES.

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IT CAN BE USED
TO HELP TO LEARN

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TO GAIN CONTROL
OF THESE PROCESSES,

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TO DO THINGS LIKE
INCREASE RELAXATION,

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RELIEVE PAIN, CONCENTRATE,

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AND DEVELOP HEALTHIER

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AND MORE COMFORTABLE
LIFE PATTERNS.

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AND BIOFEEDBACK EQUIPMENT
CAN MONITOR SIGNALS

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LIKE HEART RATE, MUSCLE TENSION,
EVEN BRAIN WAVE ACTIVITY.

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WHOA, MONITORING
YOUR BRAIN WAVES?

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SOUNDS KIND OF CREEPY, RIGHT?
DON'T WORRY.

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IT CAN'T TELL
WHAT YOU'RE THINKING,

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JUST THAT THERE'S ACTIVITY
GOING ON IN YOUR BRAIN.

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IN THE NERVE CELLS
IN OUR BODIES,

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INCLUDING IN THE BRAIN
AND MUSCLES,

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ELECTRICAL IMPULSES
HELP TRANSFER SIGNALS

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FROM ONE PART OF THE BODY
TO THE OTHER.

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LET'S LOOK AT TWO MAJOR WAYS

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THESE SORTS
OF ELECTRICAL SIGNALS

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ARE MONITORED
FOR BIOFEEDBACK.

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WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT EEG AND EMG.

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AN EEG
IS AN ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPH,

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WHICH MONITORS
THE ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY

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OF YOUR BRAIN WAVES.

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AND AN EMG
IS AN ELECTROMYOGRAPH,

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WHICH MEASURES
ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY

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IN YOUR MUSCLES.

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HOW DOES
THE BIOFEEDBACK PROCESS WORK?

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WELL, BASICALLY, WHETHER
YOU'RE USING AN EMG OR AN EEG,

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YOU NEED SOME SORT OF SENSOR

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THAT WILL MEASURE
THE DESIRED BODY PROCESS.

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THEN WHEN FLUCTUATIONS
IN THE SIGNALS

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ARE NOTICED
BY THE BIOFEEDBACK MACHINE,

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THE MACHINE LETS THE SUBJECT
KNOW IN REAL TIME.

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IN A LOT OF INSTANCES,
THIS IS DONE BY AN AUDIBLE TONE

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WHICH CHANGES ITS PITCH
OR FREQUENCY.

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BUT THIS FEEDBACK
COULD ALSO COME

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IN MANY DIFFERENT FORMS.

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VERY SIMPLY, BIOFEEDBACK USES
PHYSICAL SIGNALS FROM OUR BODIES

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TO LET US KNOW
HOW OUR BODY IS WORKING.

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STILL KIND OF ABSTRACT, RIGHT?

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WELL, LET'S LOOK
AT AN EXAMPLE.

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AND WHERE BETTER TO LOOK
THAN NASA?

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LET'S GET SOME FEEDBACK
FROM NEIL SHAH,

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ONE OF THE STUDENTS IN NASA'S

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UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
RESEARCH PROJECT,

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TO GIVE US AN OVERVIEW
OF HIS TEAM'S PROJECT.

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- SO WHAT WE DID HERE

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WAS CREATE
AN EDUCATIONAL VIDEO GAME

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WHERE THE PLAYER'S EEG DATA,
OR BRAIN WAVE DATA,

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IS INCORPORATED IN.

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THE GAME'S KIND OF SPLIT UP
INTO 2 SECTIONS,

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AN EDUCATIONAL PORTION
AND THEN AN INTERACTIVE PORTION.

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DURING THE EDUCATIONAL PORTION,

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THE PLAYER IS EXPOSED TO A VIDEO
WHICH HE IS EXPECTED TO LEARN.

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DURING THIS PORTION,

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THE PLAYER WEARS
AN ELECTRODE CAP,

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WHERE HIS BRAIN WAVE DATA
IS MONITORED.

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AND THEN
IN THE INTERACTIVE PORTION,

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DEPENDING ON WHETHER
HE WAS PAYING ATTENTION OR NOT,

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THE INTERACTIVE PORTION
GETS EASIER OR HARDER.

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- COOL, RIGHT?

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THAT'S ALL DESIGNED
BY STUDENTS.

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THE GAMES WERE PROGRAMMED
BY THE STUDENTS,

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AND THE SYSTEM WAS BASED
ON NASA STUDIES.

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REMEMBER THAT THE FIRST "A"
IN NASA

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STANDS FOR "AERONAUTICS."

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NASA RESEARCHERS HAVE DONE
SOME PRETTY SERIOUS STUDIES

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TO IMPROVE THE ATTENTIVENESS
OF PILOTS IN FLIGHT SIMULATORS

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USING BIOFEEDBACK.

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BASICALLY, THE MACHINES
THAT WERE READING

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THE PILOTS' BRAIN WAVES

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FED THAT INFORMATION
BACK INTO THE FLIGHT SIMULATOR.

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CHANGE IN BRAIN WAVE ACTIVITY

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LED TO THE CHANGES
IN THE AMOUNT OF CONTROL

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THAT THE PILOTS HAD
OVER THE SIMULATOR.

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SO IN ORDER TO GAIN
BETTER CONTROL OF THE SIMULATOR,

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THEY HAD TO TEACH THEMSELVES
TO CONTROL THEIR BRAIN WAVES.

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WELL, YOU MIGHT NOT BE FLYING
ANY FLIGHT SIMULATORS,

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BUT I'LL BET YOU PLAY
VIDEO GAMES, RIGHT?

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AND SOME OF THE NEW GAMES
ACTUALLY INCORPORATE

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YOUR BODY MOVEMENTS
INTO THE GAME.

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NASA RESEARCHERS HAVE ALSO DONE
SOME BIOFEEDBACK TRAINING

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USING VIDEO GAMES
TO HELP TREAT CHILDREN

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WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT/
HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER, ADHD.

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WITH ENOUGH TIME AND TRAINING,

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CHANGES IN THE PATIENT'S
BRAIN WAVES

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CAN BECOME AUTOMATIC,

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AND THAT CAN LEAD
TO IMPROVED BEHAVIOR

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AND ATTENTION ALL THE TIME.

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HERE'S ROBERT GOUGELET,
ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE TEAM,

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WITH MORE.

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- IN ESSENCE,
AN INDIVIDUAL COULD ALTER

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THE WAY THEIR BRAIN WORKS.

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THIS IS THE CORE CONCEPT
BEHIND BIOFEEDBACK,

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WHERE ADHD PATIENTS CAN ACTUALLY
MANIPULATE THEIR BRAIN WAVES

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AND PRODUCE MORE NORMAL
BRAIN WAVE PATTERNS,

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ALTHOUGH IN OUR GAME,
WE TRY TO STRAY

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FROM THE BIOFEEDBACK PARADIGM,

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AND REALLY, ALL WE'RE ASKING
THE USER TO DO

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IS TO PAY MORE ATTENTION
TO THE INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT.

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- PAY MORE ATTENTION.

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YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THAT
FROM YOUR TEACHERS A LOT, RIGHT?

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AND DEPENDING ON THE TEACHER,
IT MIGHT BE HARD TO DO.

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BUT IMAGINE IF YOU WERE GIVEN
THE OPPORTUNITY

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TO USE A SYSTEM LIKE THIS,

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WHERE YOU GOT TO PLAY GAMES
IN AN EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT.

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YOU'D PROBABLY
PAY MORE ATTENTION, RIGHT?

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SO IT SEEMS LIKE THESE STUDENTS
ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.

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PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES
SPEND A LOT OF TIME

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PRACTICING THEIR TECHNIQUE,

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TO THE POINT THAT THEY DEVELOP
WHAT'S CALLED "MUSCLE MEMORY."

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BASICALLY, THROUGH REPETITION
OF A MOTION OR ACTION,

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THEY NO LONGER HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT THE MOTION OR ACTION

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AND MERELY HAVE TO REACT
AND PERFORM APPROPRIATELY.

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NASA RESEARCHERS
HAVE EVEN BROUGHT BIOFEEDBACK

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INTO THE WORLD OF GOLF.

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A COMBINATION
OF AN OFF-THE-SHELF

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PUTTING PRACTICE SYSTEM
AND BIOFEEDBACK TECHNOLOGY

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CAN HELP AN ATHLETE
IMPROVE THEIR PUTTING.

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THE FEEDBACK HERE IS OBVIOUS:

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IF THE ATHLETE IS TOO TENSE

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OR HAS THE WRONG
BRAIN WAVE ACTIVITY,

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THE HOLE WILL SHRINK,
THE GREEN WILL MOVE,

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AND THE LASER GUIDE
WILL SWING RAPIDLY.

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BUT WHEN THE ATHLETE RELAXES,
ALL THAT SETTLES DOWN,

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AND IT'S EASIER
TO MAKE THE PUTT.

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THE GOAL IS FOR THE ATHLETE

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TO LEARN THE MUSCLE MEMORY
OF RELAXATION

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AND THE PROPER BRAIN WAVES.

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THAT WAY, WHEN THEY GET OUT
ON THE REAL GREEN,

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THEY'RE ABLE TO CONTROL
THEIR STRESS LEVELS

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AND SINK THOSE BIG PUTTS.

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SO THAT'S JUST ONE MORE
APPLICATION OF BIOFEEDBACK.

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WHERE ELSE DO YOU THINK
BIOFEEDBACK COULD BE BENEFICIAL?

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WELL, THAT'S IT FOR NOW.

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I'M VINCE WHITFIELD,

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AND WE'LL CATCH YOU NEXT TIME
ON "NASA LAUNCHPAD."