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Running head: NEUROSKY MINDWAVE HEADSET

NeuroSky MindWave Headset:


Accuracy of a Single-Electrode EEG
Salvador De La Rosa, Grayson Grimes, Nino Jajvani, and Ivy Rodriguez
Center for Advanced Research and Technology

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Abstract

This study investigated the NeuroSky Mindwave headset as a inexpensive alternative to EEG
machines. Multiple studies have been conducted to investigate the accuracy of the NeuroSky
Mindwave headset. The purpose of the study was to build on past research to determine if the
NeuroSky Mindwave headset could be used as a research tool for high school students. The
participants were given a concentration task for 30 seconds and then the a 20 second resting
period before the next task. It was hypothesized that a resting time added in between pictures
from the Snowy Pictures Test would amplify the difference in resting and attentive brain waves.
Data from the NeuroSky Mindwave Headset was recorded using the application NeuroSky
Recorder and stored in Dropbox. However the NeuroSky Recorder application had a peak
limitation that did not allow data to be collected from the NeuroSky headset in its entirety. Areas
of high attention and low attention frequencies were still able to be distinguished and graphed.
The data collected suggests that the NeuroSky Mindwave headset could be used by high school
students for purposes that do not require precise numbered data.

NEUROSKY MINDWAVE HEADSET

NeuroSky Mindwave Headset:


Accuracy of NeuroSky MindWave Headset
In todays world, modern technological advances have allowed us to be able to measure
brainwave frequencies through Electroencephalogram scans (EEG). This allows researchers and
medical professionals to see the different brain waves that fire off in the brain and classify them
with certain functions and disorders. NeuroSky will not replace EEG for medical diagnostic test,
but could be used for research, education and helping students with special needs. This
technology works by placing a headset with a dry, single-electrode plate on the forehead. Then
the ear clip is placed on the earlobe to provide a ground to the circuit. This method is far more
inexpensive and simplistic than traditional EEG scans because it does not need a trained
professional to operate. With all the pros and cons of this device, does the accuracy of a scan
provide enough evidence to implement this technology instead of traditional EEG in research
done by high school students?
What the NeuroSky MindWave headset lacks in accuracy, it makes up its low cost.
Traditional EEG scans typically cost between $800 to $3000, compared to the $99 headset
offered from the Neurosky. In one study, a 72 percent accuracy rate was accomplished with the
help of a data analysis program called MATLAB (Chee-Keong, Wai 2015). Around 35 percent
of participants said the headset was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable (Mendez-Rebolledo
et. al, 2009). A study investigating Neurosky's ability to detect attention levels while doing
different tasks asked 40 participants to fill out a questionnaire while their brainwaves were being
recorded by the Neurosky headset. A video game tutorial was used to assist them through the
process while use-generated data was being collected. The results showed that even with minor

NEUROSKY MINDWAVE HEADSET

complication during the testing like head size, battery running out, and distractions, attention
levels could still be detected by Neurosky headset.
Future implementations were found to be easily achievable due to the headsets output of
data through a recorder. The output from the NeuroSky headset is in the form of raw values that
can then be turned into programmable functions. Another possibility is programming functions
to be executed once a threshold is met for a specific brainwave (Rani, Kiran, 2015). The harder a
participant concentrates on a specific image, the higher the frequency of the beta wave, allowing
for a threshold system to be implemented. This ability increases the applications and the
potential of NeuroSky Mindwave headsets. Improvements suggest that the NeuroSkys design
allow for a wider range of the placement of the single-electrode that the NeuroSky is equipped
with (Grierson, Kiefer, 2011). The current design of headset includes an electrode set on an arm
that moves downwards to rests over different positions of the forehead, depending on the size of
the users head.
An EEG signal data transmission device was used to measure brain activity through a
previous version of the NeuroSky Mindwave headset, the NeuroSky Mindflex. The data
transmission device, a brain computer interface based smart living environmental autoadjustment control system (BSLEACS) was designed for long term monitoring of people in
order to develop a kind of detection software or even drowsiness detection software that wakes
the user when falling asleep at the wheel. The study found the BSLEACS was an effective means
of using the NeuroSky MindFlex headsets data to perform practical applications such as helping
elderly and paralyzed patients who are not able to use their hands. (Rani, Kiran, 2015).
Similarities that seem to have run through all articles relevant to the NeuroSky headset
are the conveyed accessibility and ease of use for the NeuroSky Headset. Two research teams

NEUROSKY MINDWAVE HEADSET


compared brain wave, data with self-reported questionnaires. All the studies seem to agree on
one thing, that the NeuroSky headset, if found to be an accurate alternative to EEG machines,
could pose incredibly groundbreaking benefits to the entire world (Grierson, Kiefer, 2011)
(Robbins, Stonehill, 2014). Nearly anyone and everyone could find a place to integrate the
NeuroSky headset in order to be of some benefit. This could be at schools in order to determine
what kind of learning a student responds best to, in businesses to determine the most efficient
way to engage workers, or even for personal use at home in order to determine what kind of
studying activity engages you the best.
There are numerous variables that were implemented into this study from a variety of
studies. The cognitive Snowy Pictures test, used by Robbins and Stonehill (2014), consists of a
sequence of pictures behind a distorted, snowy obstructive background that makes the subject
focus harder on the image. Robbins and Stonehill (2014), suggested the timeslot be shortened
from the 90 seconds to a 20 second resting period with a 30 second window for each picture to
allow the subject to have enough time to guess the image. The resting period was added to
induce a neutral, neurological state of the participants mind in between each picture. The 20
seconds are crucial because it gives a more distinctive section of data to compare to the
brainwave levels. Robbins and Stonehill (2014) suggested that introducing a rest period would
provide balance between data clarity and trial duration. The resting periods would allow the
observation of low frequencies allowing the ability to compare brain waves during stimulation.
Due to the fact that beta waves are significantly easier to record and evaluate, they will be the
focus of this study. With the questionnaire post-test completed by each participant, this study
hoped to find if the accuracy of the NeuroSky MindWave headsets provides significantly
accurate readings to expand its usability. It was predicted that if a 20 second resting period was

NEUROSKY MINDWAVE HEADSET

added in between the snowy pictures test, values between resting and attentive brain waves
would be statistically significant enough to support the Neurosky headset as an alternative to
EEG machines.
Methods
Participants
Participants for the study included 23 high school students from the Center for Advanced
Research and Technologys (CART) Psychology and Human Behavior lab, who volunteered for
the study. CART is a joint power high school for juniors and seniors, attending Clovis Unified or
Fresno Unified School Districts.
Materials
In order to run this experiment, the Neurosky Mindwave Headset was connected by
bluetooth to an iPad. There were two apps that recorded and saved our data on the iPad. The
Recorder was the name of the app that recorded and Dropbox was the name of the app that saved
the data. Both applications are free from the iTunes App Store. A self-completion questionnaire
called NASA TLX from Robbins and Stonehills study (2014) was given to the participants. The
cognitive test that was used was also taken from the Robbins and Stonehill study which is called
the Snowy Pictures Test (STP). This test consists of various images with obstructed backgrounds
to make the image hard to focus on, making attention levels peak. A Microsoft PowerPoint was
used to project each picture of the SPT on a laptop.
The testing environment was setup by placing panel that was set around the computer that
was used to show the power point. A clicker was used to switch slides without interacting
directly in front of the participant. A charger was connected to both the iPad and computer to

NEUROSKY MINDWAVE HEADSET

insure that both were operating properly throughout testing. A script was used to avoid any
discrepancies between each participant.
Procedure
The current study is based off of the procedure and recommendations made by Robbins
and Stonehill (2014). Participants were taken to the laboratory, the experiment was explained to
each participant and informed consent was obtained. The NeuroSky was fitted to each participant
and a wait time was done of 7-10 seconds for the Recorder application to recognize the data. The
Snowy Pictures test was conducted on each participant. Once each participant completed the
SPT, the NASA TLX questionnaire was administered
Results
Limitations of the free recording application only gave a partial reading. Partial readings
indicated that the file was too large for the Recorder to process all the brainwaves from the entire
testing period. Due to the limitation in the recorded peaks of the data, a correlation between the
self-reported questionnaires and the data recorded from NeuroSky Mindwave headset was not
able to be done. There were still areas of low frequencies followed by areas of high frequencies
gathered from the readings, which were then graphed in Microsoft Excel (see Figure 1).
Discussion
The first hypothesis of introducing a resting period of 20 seconds in between each snowy
picture to allow easier distinguishability from concentrating and meditative brainwave levels was
supported. Once the raw values were graphed using Excel, difference between these two sections
of data could be seen. Due to the cut off of brainwave values, the amplification of the brainwave
levels through MATLAB was not needed because the data that would be amplified being
inaccurate. A frequent problem that arose during testing was connection errors that had to do

NEUROSKY MINDWAVE HEADSET

with the iPad not being in range as well as the single electrode of the headset being frequently
displaced by simple movements of the head. The second issue that came up was with the data
that was being collected from the Neurosky Recorder application. The information that was
received by the Recorder application was not collected in its entirety, likely because of the sheer
mass of the data that NeuroSky sent to the application. The data collected was often cut off or
reduced in one or many processes. There are multiple possibilities for where the data was lost
such as, the process between the NeuroSky headset sending the data to the Recorder app or when
the data was exported from the recorder app to Dropbox or even when data was taken from
dropbox and exported into Microsoft Excel.
A proposed improvement that was introduced was the addition of a resting period
between every obstructed image to be able to achieve a more distinguishable set of readings
between attentive and meditative (Stonehill, Robbins, 2014). Participants in this study were
given a timed 20 second resting period between each snowy picture to make readings more
statistically significant as suggested. Due to the incapability of the Recorder application that was
used to log and record data from the NeuroSky MindWave headset, averages were not able to be
obtained. This is a major dilemma because correlations are not able to be taken, comparing
differences between subjects and correlations between post-test questionnaires and attention
levels in percentages. Linear graphs were presented in the primary study with these results to
show this correlation between questionnaires and the test performed. Although a difference can
be seen in the graphical representation without the ability to export it to MATLAB we were not
able to compute the possible correlation.
The usefulness of the Neurosky MindWave headset seems limited. With linear graphs it
is possible to distinguish the resting period and testing period however attention level

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frequencies during the testing period are problematically close to each while in the Microsoft
Excel Worksheet the data was huge and presented in milliseconds all of this makes it impossible
for us to gather the information needed and compare it to the self-completion questionnaire filled
out by the participants after the snowy picture test. In order to avoid this issue other research
tools can be used for recording data. One of the possible alternatives could be Mindrec. The
MindRec program is useful for researchers and neuromarketers. The MindRec enables
researchers to record all continuous streaming data from the NeuroSky MindSet as well as video
synchronized with brainwaves to the hard disk. Since the original recording can be huge
MindRec allows the person to edit the record to only required areas and even though the
recorded data format is its own format MindRec allows you to translate it to a CSV format so
you can read it from many spreadsheet applications, like Microsoft Excel (NeuroSky store).
Other substitutes for data recording program are provided by Neurosky MindWave
Research Tools (MRT). It enables researchers to use the MindSet as a data collection device. The
MRT includes the NeuroView software, with this it is easier to connect to the device and not
have any glitches. The data is recorded from headset to log files, which can be opened in Excel
and MATLAB. It is viewed in meter, graphs, and immediate feedback will be given during the
data collection experiments. NeuroSkyLab, on the other hand, is targeted at the more advanced
EEG researcher who is comfortable and familiar with the MATLAB environment. It provides
much more powerful capabilities than NeuroView in terms of customization and real time data
viewing and analysis (NeuroSky store).

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References
Chee-Keong, A. L., & Wai, C. C. (2015). Analysis of single-electrode eeg rhythms using
MATLAB to elicit correlation with cognitive stress. International Journal of Computer
Theory and Engineering, 7 (2), 149-155. doi : 10.7763/IJCTE.2015.V7.947
Grierson, M., & Kiefer, C., (2011). Better brain interfacing for the masses: Progress in eventrelated potential detection using commercial brain computing interfaces. CHI. Retrieved
from http://physiologicalcomputing.net
/bbichi2011/Better%20Brain%20Interfacing%20for%20the%20Masses.pdf
Mendez-Rebelledo, G., Dunwell I., Martinez-Miron E.A, Vargas-Cerdan M.D, Freitas S.,
Liarokapis F., Garcia-Gaona A.R(2009). Assessing neuroskys usability to detect
attention levels in an assessment exercise. Retrieved from
www.researchgate.net/publication/221100410_Assessing_NeuroSky's_Usability_to_Dete
ct_Attention_ Levels_in_an_Assessment_Exercise
Rani, A., H. M., & Kiran, P., (2015). A novel method for analysis of eeg signals using brain
wave data analyzer. International Journal of Soft Computing and Engineering, 5(2), 98100.
Robbins, R., & Stonehill, M. (2014). Investigating the neurosky mindwave eeg headset.
Transport Research Laboratory. Retrieved from
http://www.transportresearchfoundation.co.uk/PDF/PPR726-Investigating-the-NeuroSkyMindWave-EEG-Headset.pdf

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Figure 1.

Subject #14
3000

MegaHertz

2000
1000
0
-1000
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-3000

Time (milliseconds)

Figure 1: The raw values on a linear graphs taken from the Recorder application and exported to
Microsoft Excel.

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