Ganglion vs Cyton - motor imagery project

dream4future · May 2024

Hi guys,

Currently I'm planning to do a small project where I could combine programming, engineering and EEG.
I'm a software developer and a mechanical engineer and recently got interested in brain activity and neuroscience.
I've been wondering if it's possible for me as an amateur to get imagery from the motor cortex areas that correspond to both arm movements. I would like to write a software to do some experiments using both arms. I'm curious how many electrodes would be sufficient for that task.
I'm wondering whether it's not too difficult for a start.
It's my first project in that area so I don't have experience in EEG. If you have any advice or ideas I would be happy to hear it.
My primary goal is to get as much knowledge about EEG and brain activity as possible. And to combine my experience from other areas with neuroscience.
But my ultimate goal is to gain experience in the subject and then find a team, a project or a company that needs someone with my qualifications. After years of experience in industry I have realized that I want to work on innovative and creative projects.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Pyotr

wjcroft · May 2024

Pyotr, hi.

There is a Cyton based tutorial at this link below. But it is problematic because the author no longer responds to questions or issues. So perhaps just view it as one example of MI BCI. Others are online if you search.

https://docs.openbci.com/Examples/EEGProjects/MotorImagery/

This is another example, done some years ago,

https://blog.jfrey.info/2015/03/03/openbci-motor-imagery/

MI is not easy because it involves training the classifier to the specific operator and other papers have been written on the challenges of that,

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357301905_Towards_identifying_optimal_biased_feedback_for_various_user_states_and_traits_in_motor_imagery_BCI

If you want a better BCI paradigm that has much more control flexibility than merely left/right indications, consider VEP, visual evoked potentials. There is a free open source app called MindAffect that you can connect up to your robots or home automation, etc.

https://www.google.com/search?as_q=mindaffect&as_sitesearch=openbci.com

https://openbci.com/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/2783/mindaffect-announces-open-source-release-of-their-cvep-bci-speller-games-etc

William

dream4future · May 2024

Hi William,
Thanks for your reply I sent you a DM with some questions.
Best regards
Pyotr

wjcroft · May 2024

Reposting the reply PM I left Pyotr,

Pyotr, hi.

re: heart-intelligence

The most research on this has been done by Rollin McCraty at HeartMath Institute. Many of their research papers are online.

https://www.heartmath.org/research/

re: consciousness studies

Another great resource is the IONS group, Dr. Dean Radin has a huge body of research to investigate.

https://noetic.org/profile/dean-radin/
https://www.google.com/search?q=ions+radin

re: MindAffect VEP

The free open source project is fully documented. You can setup your user interface however you like. For example instead of a joystick like arrangement with only 4 directions, you could have 8 or as many buttons as you want. In other words combination buttons if that works for your application.

Ganglion works fine for their cVEP and you can see it in the video. The Headband kit generally uses dry electrodes, which are not enough amplitude EEG for MindAffect. You can see the headband they use on their docs page.

https://mindaffect-bci.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

Any type of electrodes that use an electrolyte (paste, gel, saline) will work. You can do this very inexpensively. Here is one example.

https://sites.google.com/site/biofeedbackpages/velcro-saline-sensors/commercial-saline-sensors

Regards,

Ganglion vs Cyton - motor imagery project

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