BrainMaster EEG System

What Is It:

The BrainMaster is a low-cost, flexible, general-purpose brainwave monitor. It connects to a PC in the same way that a modem does; but instead of  communicating over the telephone network, it monitors brainwaves. It is immediately useful for applications in biofeedback, research, education, recreation, hobby, self-awareness, art, performance, brainwave-controlled systems, and virtual reality. It provides many of the same basic functions as systems costing many times more, in an innovative yet simple and economical design.

Its capabilities include recording 1 or 2 channels of brainwaves or related  signals, data storage and retrieval, real-time signal processing and display, plus various forms of control and feedback. It includes many graphical display modes. It is possible to interface with the software, so that various external programs can control the BrainMaster, as well as be controlled, enabling user-developed applications to interact with live brainwave data. Control and  data interfaces to Visual Basic, Pascal, C, and C++ are provided.

With this device, you can digitally record, store, process, display, and work  with brainwaves using any PC with Windows and a spare serial port. You will be able to monitor and display waveform characteristics such as alpha, beta, delta,  or theta energy, the amount of symmetry in the brainwaves, or set up the system to respond to your brainwaves by creating displays, sounds, or other effects.  This is useful for many applications in which there is a need to record and  study brainwaves, to play games using brainwaves, or to use brainwaves to  control a system, including interactive simulations and virtual reality  displays.

The BrainMaster is approved by the FDA (K990538) for clinical  biofeedback applications. When used for this purpose, federal law restricts its sale to or on the order of a biofeedback practitioner. There is also a version available for non-clinicians. The price is the same, and the functions are similar to the clinical system. Significant benefits to attention and concentration, mental fitness, and the ability to think creatively can be achieved when this product is used in a non-clinical setting.

What does it consist of?

It consists of a small (paperback book-sized) battery-powered module, Windows-based PC software, and optional electrodes. The module is optically isolated from the PC. It contains 2 EEG amplifiers, a microprocessor controller, and the interface to the PC. The Windows software is used to communicate with the module, acquire brainwave signals, and process and display them. Your PC must be a Pentium/100, or faster, and have a spare COM: (RS-232 or "modem") port.

Specifications:

Amplifiers (EEG-type):

Gain: 20,000
Input Impedance: 10 MegOhms
Input Noise: <1.5uV p-p
Bandwidth: 1.6 - 40 Hz
Common-mode rejection: >100dB

Communications:

HW Interface: RS-232 (female DB-25)
Speed: 9600 Baud
Isolation: Optically Isolated to 130V (continuous)

Digitizer:

Type: Successive Approximation
Sampling Rate: 120 samples/second
Conversion Time: 16 microseconds
Channels: 1 or 2 channels of brainwaves
(8-channel A/D internal)
Resolution: 8 bits
Accuracy: ½ LSB

Frequency Components (user-adjustable):

Delta: 1-4 Hz
Theta: 4-7 Hz
Alpha: 8-12 Hz
Low Beta: 12-15 Hz
Beta: 15-20 Hz
Hi Beta: 20-38 Hz
Gamma: 38-42 Hz

Output Controls:

.wav file played on each command.
proportional pitch sound (with "SoundBlaster")
DLL Interface to Visual Basic, C, C++, Pascal
DLL can be used to read data from BrainMaster, or to send control information to BrainMaster.

Processing:

Algorithm: FFT for BrainMirror
Window: Hanning; Epoch: 1-second
Frequency bin: 1 Hz
Update Rate: 4/second
Quadrature Filters for training
Artifact Rejection: Amplitude

Displays:

Raw waveform (live and playback)
"Chaos" Phase-Space Display.
FFT Frequency Spectrum
Brain Mirror Frequency Spectrum
Compressed Spectral Array
"Thermometer" values (alpha, beta, etc)
1-dimensional Trend Line
2-dimensional Trend Line
Command Counters
"Pac-Man" Game
"Boxes" Game
Smiling Face
Other displays available using DLL interface.

  Control Modes:

Learn Mode:

Sets maximum, minimum, thresholds, sets counts to zero.

Play Mode: 

Registers when any component, or combination of components > threshold; Inhibits when any component, or combination of components < threshold
 

Operating Platform:

Windows² 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and OS/2.

8M RAM minimum, <1M disk space to install. Requires Intel 486/50 processor minimum.

Also runs on Mac G3 and G4 systems under Virtual PC and Soft Windows!

Both laptop and desktop MAC G3 and G4 systems can run BrainMaster Software.

  Price Information and Online Orders:

The BrainMaster is only sold to or by the order of a licensed practitioner.