Consumer-BCI

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Consumer BCI technology is distinct from normal BCI technology in that it has a different set of priorities. BCI technology was for a long time restricted to research labs, and was cost prohibitive for any consumer purpose. With the maturing of EEG technology and new manufacturing processes for electrodes, a consumer-level price point is now achievable. For a more general background of BCI technology see here. Some Advantages/Drawbacks are taken from the EEG page .

Necomimi - a Consumer BCI headset designed to read the wearer's emotions and portray them through movement of the cat-ears.

Purpose/Priorities

• Be available for a  cost accesible to the average consumer.
• Read brainwaves and use them to provide reliable input into a computer.
• Determine emotional response through brain waves.
• Display real-time EEG data.
• Easy to use with dry electrodes.

Advantages

• Low-Cost (Neurosky Mindwave available for under $100). 
• Non-invasive, consumers do not want a surgically implanted prothetic for what is an entertainment device.
• Easy to use, normally implemented in an ergonomic headset design
• Well understood from its long history in the medical field
• Brings theraputic effects to the mass market (Meditation improvement, sleep pattern checking).
• Available at different levels of complexity/price to suit individual needs.

Drawbacks

• Quality of data is low compared to semi-Invasive (ECG) and invasive (Neuroprosthesis) methods.
• As a result, limited output channels (with bad data, trying to use too many channels will lead to overlap of commands and decrease in reliability of BCI).
• Accuracy of raw data with regards to actual nature of signals is disputed (separate to low quality of data, as training can hide this problem for gaming/control purposes, however for any diagnostic application, a device such as that in the video is completely useless). This is also a result of our limited understanding of brain waves .
• Safety issues still exist, and cost-cutting can increase risk.
• Limited by software interpretation of data.

Main Brands

• Neurosky - Low cost C-BCI targeted under $100
• Emotiv Systems -- Mid-range C-BCI at the $500 price range
• g.tec - High cost C-BCI at the $10,000 price range

The flagship product for each brand (Neurosky Brainwave, Emotiv Insight, g.tec Intendi.x) will be tested in the Engineering design process to place a quantitative evaulation on their respective quality.

Below is a quick summary of the key specifcations of three major C-BCI products.

	No. of Electrodes	Number of Output Channels	Accuracy (compared to medical EEG).	Cost	Raw EEG available
Neurosky Brainwave	1	2	96%	$99	Y
Emotiv Insight	5	4	Not Given	$500	N
g.tec IntendiX	Variable - Full 10-20 Mapping available.	8	98%	$12,000	Y