<p>The question is a little vague, but here is a partial answer.</p>
<p>There are a number of EEG systems available that are low-cost. Examples include <a href="https://www.emotiv.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Emotiv's EPOC System</a> and the <a href="https://openbci.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">OpenBCI project</a>. The former has been available in various models for some years now and it has been established that it records real EEG signals, as opposed to just recording signals generated in the muscles and other artifacts.</p>
<p>The first major validation document is by Ekanayake as a <a href="http://www.visaduma.info/neurofeedback/P300nEmotiv.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">white paper</a>, that has been updated (<a href="http://neurofeedback.visaduma.info/emotivresearch.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>). As I understand it, these are not peer reviewed, nor were they presented at a conference. But the work is quite good.</p>
<p>For the collection of ERP (Evoked Potentials) data, there are two substantial peer-reviewed papers by a research group: <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/907/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Validation of the Emotiv EPOC EEG system for research quality auditory event-related potentials in children</a> by Badcock et al. (2015) and <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/38/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Validation of the Emotiv EPOC EEG gaming system for measuring research quality auditory ERPs</a>, also by Badcock et al. (2013). While these papers are on ERP experiments, their results suggest that other collection styles, such as continuous collection, are likely to be ok as well.</p>
<p>Additionally, Liu et al. (2102), <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6273184" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Implementation of SSVEP Based BCI with Emotiv EPOC</a>, is suggestive but appears to be an unreviewed conference paper. As a <em>counterpoint</em> to this, there is <a href="https://biomedical-engineering-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-925X-12-56" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Performance of the Emotiv Epoc headset for P300-based applications</a>, by Duvinage et al. (2013). <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&amp;q=emotiv%20eeg%20epoc" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Searching Google Scholar for these topics</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0,11&amp;q=emotiv%20eeg%20epoc&amp;scisbd=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">shows a trend</a> that more recent papers are generally more positive, but I don't have time to work the statistics to show that is more than my quick opinion.</p>
<p>As an aside, our laboratory has been using the Emotiv system for approximately a year and a half, collecting data for approximately 6 months or so, and for continuous EEG collection (non-ERP) we are replicating the expected EEG phenomena. Hopefully we'll be added to the peer-reviewed literature above soon.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2016-03-10T16:50:18.833Z
2022-04-30T14:40:31.847Z
2022-04-30T14:40:31.847Z
Doctorambient
<p>Do any commodity technologies exist that offer useful neuroimaging data? By commodity I mean lowish cost and not requiring specialist technicians to run. 
By useful I mean able to reliably provide some signal at different times from the same subject, even if it is of a limited nature. If so, what are the capabilities of the technology?</p>

<p>For instance, do the cheap EEG machines provide useful data or not?</p>

<p>Are any such technologies likely to become available in the foreseeable future?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-10T15:42:36.797Z
useful for what?
honi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-10T15:57:31.443Z
Note the definition I offered.
conjectures
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-10T16:02:22.143Z
according to that definition, just attaching a thermometer to your head would be sufficient.  what signal are you looking for?
honi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-10T16:03:13.710Z
obviously, EEG machines provide some signal at different times from the same subject.  the question is whether that is the right signal for your application.
honi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-10T18:08:35.880Z
I don't have an application, yet. I want to know what tools are available so I can determine what applications are or may become feasible.
conjectures
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-10T18:09:14.117Z
I don't think a thermometer reading could reasonably be classed as a neuroimage.
conjectures
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-12T15:32:04.573Z
@conjectures to most of the people I work with, EEG isn't "neuroimaging" either. Is your questions more along the lines of "are consumer EEG machines toys or do they actually show brain activity?" --that is how I answered it, anyway.
Doctorambient
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-13T19:35:29.043Z
@DoctorAmbient that's one reasonable interpretation. Would you say EEG is not neuroimaging in the same way that sticking a thermometer to the side of your head isn't?
conjectures
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-14T00:33:08.843Z
@conjectures I am not sure that the thermometer is such a bad example, considering that infrared imaging is a neuroimaging modality. I think EEG is "neuroimaging," (loosely) I just know a lot of people who think of it as something else. I think some people want an actual brain image from neuroimaging. BTW--what other interpretations of your question are there? I am curious what else you were looking for. I do a lot of work with consumer equipment, and have some similar questions.
Doctorambient
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-14T08:52:28.340Z
If there was a type of non-EEG consumer level hardware available - I don't know. The thermometer suggestion was clearly a sarcastic response to my question.
conjectures
<methodology><devices>
Which commodity technologies offer useful neuroimaging data?
conjectures
# Which commodity technologies offer useful neuroimaging data?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-03-10)

Do any commodity technologies exist that offer useful neuroimaging data? By commodity I mean lowish cost and not requiring specialist technicians to run.
By useful I mean able to reliably provide some signal at different times from the same subject, even if it is of a limited nature. If so, what are the capabilities of the technology?

For instance, do the cheap EEG machines provide useful data or not?

Are any such technologies likely to become available in the foreseeable future?

**Tags:** methodology, devices

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: useful for what?  
> **username_0**: Note the definition I offered.  
> **username_1**: according to that definition, just attaching a thermometer to your head would be sufficient.  what signal are you looking for?  
> **username_1**: obviously, EEG machines provide some signal at different times from the same subject.  the question is whether that is the right signal for your application.  
> **username_0**: I don't have an application, yet. I want to know what tools are available so I can determine what applications are or may become feasible.  
> **username_0**: I don't think a thermometer reading could reasonably be classed as a neuroimage.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 to most of the people I work with, EEG isn't "neuroimaging" either. Is your questions more along the lines of "are consumer EEG machines toys or do they actually show brain activity?" --that is how I answered it, anyway.  
> **username_0**: @DoctorAmbient that's one reasonable interpretation. Would you say EEG is not neuroimaging in the same way that sticking a thermometer to the side of your head isn't?  
> **username_2**: @username_0 I am not sure that the thermometer is such a bad example, considering that infrared imaging is a neuroimaging modality. I think EEG is "neuroimaging," (loosely) I just know a lot of people who think of it as something else. I think some people want an actual brain image from neuroimaging. BTW--what other interpretations of your question are there? I am curious what else you were looking for. I do a lot of work with consumer equipment, and have some similar questions.  
> **username_0**: If there was a type of non-EEG consumer level hardware available - I don't know. The thermometer suggestion was clearly a sarcastic response to my question.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-03-10. Score: 3

The question is a little vague, but here is a partial answer.

There are a number of EEG systems available that are low-cost. Examples include [Emotiv's EPOC System](https://www.emotiv.com/) and the [OpenBCI project](https://openbci.com/). The former has been available in various models for some years now and it has been established that it records real EEG signals, as opposed to just recording signals generated in the muscles and other artifacts.

The first major validation document is by Ekanayake as a [white paper](http://www.visaduma.info/neurofeedback/P300nEmotiv.pdf), that has been updated ([here](http://neurofeedback.visaduma.info/emotivresearch.htm)). As I understand it, these are not peer reviewed, nor were they presented at a conference. But the work is quite good.

For the collection of ERP (Evoked Potentials) data, there are two substantial peer-reviewed papers by a research group: [Validation of the Emotiv EPOC EEG system for research quality auditory event-related potentials in children](https://peerj.com/articles/907/) by Badcock et al. (2015) and [Validation of the Emotiv EPOC EEG gaming system for measuring research quality auditory ERPs](https://peerj.com/articles/38/), also by Badcock et al. (2013). While these papers are on ERP experiments, their results suggest that other collection styles, such as continuous collection, are likely to be ok as well.

Additionally, Liu et al. (2102), [Implementation of SSVEP Based BCI with Emotiv EPOC](https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6273184), is suggestive but appears to be an unreviewed conference paper. As a *counterpoint* to this, there is [Performance of the Emotiv Epoc headset for P300-based applications](https://biomedical-engineering-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-925X-12-56), by Duvinage et al. (2013). [Searching Google Scholar for these topics](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=emotiv%20eeg%20epoc), [shows a trend](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,11&q=emotiv%20eeg%20epoc&scisbd=1) that more recent papers are generally more positive, but I don't have time to work the statistics to show that is more than my quick opinion.

As an aside, our laboratory has been using the Emotiv system for approximately a year and a half, collecting data for approximately 6 months or so, and for continuous EEG collection (non-ERP) we are replicating the expected EEG phenomena. Hopefully we'll be added to the peer-reviewed literature above soon.


---

