# Mike Winters > Synaptic Media ## Posts - [Whispering Wearables](https://mikewinters.io/?p=988): Over the past few years, I’ve been exploring the intersection of sound technologies, sensor data, and accessible design—a journey that began with my early work on sonification and tongue gestures. One project, in particular, has left a lasting impression on me: our Silent Speech initiative. This work not only pushed the boundaries of non-invasive, hands-free […] - [Gaze & Tongue](https://mikewinters.io/?p=935): A New Paradigm for Human-AI Interaction While I was a Post Doc Researcher in Brain-Computer Interface Group at Microsoft Research, I had the opportunity to initiate my own research directions. As a PhD in music technology (where I learned how to BCI), I was inspired by the ideas of music theorists such as Pauline Oliveros, […] - [A BCI for Amatria](https://mikewinters.io/?p=858): In my first post-doctoral research experience after Georgia Tech, I joined the Socioneural Physiology Lab—an interdisciplinary group of researchers at the intersection of the Kinsey Institute and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering led by Dr. Gregory Lewis and Dr. Jacek Kolacz at Indiana University, Bloomington. When I arrived, I learned that a […] - [Boosting Empathy with Heartbeats](https://mikewinters.io/?p=279): For millennia, the heart has been a metaphor of love and feeling. Perhaps this is because our heart often reflects our emotions. It slows when we are relaxed, and quickens when we are excited. One of the common threads of my research is studying how sound can carry emotional information. For my dissertation, I decided […] - [Realtime Inter-brain Synchrony](https://mikewinters.io/?p=775): During my PhD at Georgia Tech, I became fascinated by scientific literature reporting that people engaged in shared interpersonal interaction would have higher degrees of inter-brain synchronization. In essence, people engaged in face-to-face, cooperative interactions, their brainwaves became more similar. As a researcher interested in socio-neural sonification, I was curious how hearing this inter-brain similarity […] - [Interactive Audio for Science Education](https://mikewinters.io/?p=170): When I studied physics, I remember struggling to understand concepts I could not visualize. I would read textbooks filled with descriptive text, equations and diagrams until I could finally form a mental model. Things are different now. Students that play with science simulations made by the PhET Project at the University of Colorado Boulder can […] - [Hearing Skin Cancer](https://mikewinters.io/?p=218): Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fundamental building block of many new technologies. In the wild, many AI algorithms are designed to operate autonomously. But to communicate with humans, they need to perceptualize what they know. One of the most rewarding projects I’ve worked on was designing an AI sonification system to help doctors with melanoma […] - [Live Multimedia Production](https://mikewinters.io/?p=134): When I joined the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology (GTCMT), I was excited to help grow their program. The opportunity presented itself through the Guthman New Musical Instrument Competition, a renowned concert featuring new musical instruments. With the encouragement and support of Frank Clark, Chris Moore & Jason Freeman, I brought my previous experience […] - [AI-Enhanced Social Media Images](https://mikewinters.io/?p=237): So much of the content in social media platforms is visual: GIFS, photographs, memes, infographics, bitmojis and emojis to name a few. Sound and music are such vital components to the enjoyment of media, but have been largely overlooked. I joined Microsoft Research in the summer of 2016 for an internship with researchers in computer […] - [Insight in Expert Performers](https://mikewinters.io/?p=262): I’ve played piano for over 20 years, but it wasn’t until I was in college that I began using recordings. I found that hearing professionals play my piece could trigger creative insights and new directions for my practice. Listening to recordings of myself on the other hand, was often quite painful. I could hear all […] - [Solar System Sonification](https://mikewinters.io/?p=233): Planetariums offer breathtaking immersive shows that engage and educate their audiences. Abounding with visual media such as visualizations, images, and video, the auditory content is usually limited to narration. We wondered if we could flip the script. Could we make a planetarium show driven by sonic information—information displayed through sonification and auditory display? When I […] - [Neurofeedback Music](https://mikewinters.io/?p=270): Not long after the discovery of alpha waves in the human electroencephalogram (EEG), a composer named Alvin Lucier used them in music performance. The piece Music for Solo Performer (1965) amplified these brain signals to excite percussion instruments. Neurofeedback and biofeedback instruments have interested me since working at the Input Devices and Music Interaction Lab […] - [Brain-Controlled Robotic Drumming Arm](https://mikewinters.io/?p=301): As a PhD student in Gil Weinberg’s Robotic Musicianship Group, I worked around a lot of robots. When I arrived, Shimon & Friends were an established group of robotic musicans that could play, listen, improvise and even dance. In my second year, our group began designing a new robot that would augment a human drummer […] - [Smart City Security](https://mikewinters.io/?p=48): Everyday, more and more devices are connected to the internet. These devices connect and help us in so many ways, but without protection, they are vulnerable to cyberattack. I worked with researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) to develop a web-sonification system to help security professionals monitor IoT threats in realtime. The user […] - [Sonification of Emotion](https://mikewinters.io/?p=231): At the Input Devices and Music Interaction Lab (IDMIL), I got involved with a technology startup specializing in emotion recognition. Their algorithm predicted realtime arousal-valence coordinates from physiological sensors worn on the body. They thought that audio would be a great way to showcase their technology, and we did too. We wrote an NSERC-Engage Grant […] - [Beethoven at 10,000 Notes per Second](https://mikewinters.io/?p=96): As a music technology researcher, I’m aware of the incredible amount of information available about music. The practice of Computational Music Analysis involves analyzing large databases of music to find patterns representing distinct styles, genres and composers. At the end of my master’s degree, I worked with developers at the ELVIS Project to make a […] - [Concert Livestreaming](https://mikewinters.io/?p=143): At the Schulich School of Music, I had the privilege of joining their concert livestream team, which was led by Grammy Award-Winning professors George Massenburg and Richard King. I didn’t know much about production at that time, but as a pianist, I was passionate about performance. I quickly fell in love with the excitement of […] - [Musical Beginnings](https://mikewinters.io/?p=272): My interest in music technology developed out of my artistic training as a classical pianist. I began formal musical training at the age of seven. ## Pages - [Research](https://mikewinters.io/?page_id=1058): My research explores how humans and technology interact through sound, neurophysiological signals, and adaptive AI. By combining expertise in auditory interfaces, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), affective computing, and adaptive learning, I develop novel ways to enhance accessibility, emotion-driven interaction, and intelligence amplification. My work spans wearable devices, mixed reality, and AI-driven learning systems, with applications in […] - [Invited Talks](https://mikewinters.io/?page_id=961): I enjoy giving public talks about research, technology, sound, and human experience. Over the years, I have spoken with students, researchers, engineers, musicians, designers, and general audiences about sonification, brain-computer interfaces, affective computing, wearable devices, mixed reality, and the role of sound in making complex information more understandable. My talks often bring together scientific research […] - [Teaching](https://mikewinters.io/?page_id=444): For me, Music Technology is more than the intersection of music and technology. It is a window into the core cultural values of our society. Teaching provides an opportunity to bring those values into tangible, living space. Learning Goals This perspective motivates me as a teacher, where I target students learning along three primary dimensions: […] - [Experience](https://mikewinters.io/?page_id=277): Over the years, I have worked in multiple sectors, from small labs and start-ups to large technology companies. The product of my work has been an array of instruments and interfaces that that help people learn, perform, and connect through sound. I have experience working in interdisciplinary teams of diverse stake-holders posing new questions and […] - [About Me](https://mikewinters.io/?page_id=56): I am an interdisciplinary researcher specializing in AI-enabled, multimodal perceptual technologies. I am passionate about how sensory-perceptual systems can enable us to be more compassionate and understanding, perform faster and more fluently, and become the best version of ourselves. Like musical instruments, I want to develop technologies that can respond to the most subtle human […] - [Publications](https://mikewinters.io/?page_id=568): A major output of my research has been peer-reviewed publications, including journal articles, conference papers, patents, and abstracts. These publications reflect my work as an interdisciplinary researcher specializing in auditory neurophysiology, sonification, and human-computer interaction. Below is a complete list of my publications, organized by category. A full list, including citation counts, is available on […] - [Contact](https://mikewinters.io/?page_id=27): I am interested in collaborating with students, teachers, researchers and 501c3 organizations building synaptic media technologies that positively benefit human performance, learning and social connection. My availability for consulting is limited, but feel free to reach out! ## Optional - [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/mikewinters.io/mcp) [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)