EmotivBCI

EmotivBCI
Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) is a system that allows you to control machines using your
brain activity directly, rather then through intermediary interfaces like a mouse, keyboard,
touchscreen or voice. EMOTIV technology converts brain waves to digital signals that can
be used to control an endless number of digital outputs such as games, IoT devices,
communication devices and audio/visual content. EmotivBCI is a desktop application for
Mac and Windows that allows you view and train the EMOTIV data streams used for BCI.
These data streams are the following:

Mental Commands allow active control with specific thoughts that you have trained the
system to recognize. You can train up to 4 commands per training profile with an
unlimited number of profiles.
Performance Metrics allow passive and continuous control based on your real time
cognitive state, including measurements of focus, excitement, interest, engagement,
stress and relaxation. No training is required.

We also offer two additional data streams that are not from the brain directly, but can be
applied to enhance your BCI system.

Facial Expressions trigger events with movements of your facial and eye muscles. No
training is required, but you can train some expressions to make them more accurate
and personalized.
Motion Sensors capture your head movements which you can apply to move a mouse
or trigger other commands.

The personalized training profiles that you create in EmotivBCI can be used with our Node-
RED toolbox to control a wide array of outputs including social media, IoT devices and
robotics. Your BCI profile can also be used in other third party applications connected to
EMOTIV via our Cortex service.

This document is intended to help you get started using EmotivBCI and to understand how
to use the various features that it offers.

If you have any queries beyond the scope of this document, please contact us through our
online support.
Getting started
In this section:

System requirements
Installation
Logging in
Create an account
Forgot password
Access account
Logging out
Offline use
System requirments
EmotivBCI is compatible with the following operating systems:

Windows 10 (64-bit) v1607+

Mac OS 10.11 and higher

EmotivBCI requires a minimum of 8GB RAM to operate. For Windows, please ensure your
system has a minimum specification of Core i5-3xxx processor or higher.

Note: For optimal rendering performance in EmotivBCI we advise to use a maximum screen
resolution of 1920 x 1080. Downscaling the resolution on 4k, 5k displays helps to
significantly improve performance.

Note: Running EmotivPRO and EmotivBCI concurrently on the same machine may have
performance impacts.
Installing and Updating
EMOTIV App

EMOTIV App is our single, centralized installer to download all EMOTIV applications. You
can choose to download our entire application suite or select the application you wish to
install. Please note that Cortex service is essential for both EmotivPRO and EmotivBCI to
operate successfully. You can create a new account or manage your passwords using the
EMOTIV App.

To install EmotivBCI on Windows:

1. Use the computer that you want to install EmotivBCI on

2. Login at www.emotiv.com
3. Go to the “MyAccount” page at www.emotiv.com/my-account/
4. Click on “Downloads” in the menu
5. Find Emotiv-Installer-Win in the list of available downloads and click on “Download”
next to the listing
. Open downloaded Emotiv-Installer-Win-x64.exe
7. Install to the default C:\Program Files (x86) or specify the path where you would like to
install Emotiv applications. Click Continue.
. Select the Applications you want to install. Please note that Cortex Service is essential
for successful operation of EmotivBCI
9. Accept the User License Agreement and click Continue
10. Wait for the installer to download required files and install them
11. Click close to exit the installer.

To install EmotivBCI on Mac:

1. Use the computer that you want to install EmotivBCI on

2. Login at www.emotiv.com
3. Go to the “MyAccount” page at www.emotiv.com/my-account/
4. Click on “Downloads” in the menu
5. Find Emotiv-Installer-Mac in the list of available downloads and click on “Download”
next to the listing
. Open the downloaded Emotiv-Installer-Mac.dmg (Note: You may need to allow
installing apps from unidentified developers in order to run the installer. Please right
 click on the installer and select open form the right-click menu. You will then be
prompted with a pop up asking for your permission to open the app, click Open.)
7. Install to the default User/Applications/EmotivApps or specify the path where you
would like to install the Emotiv applications. Click Continue.
. Select the Applications you want to install. Please note that Cortex Service is essential
for successful operation of EmotivBCI
9. Accept the User License Agreement and click Continue
10. Wait for the installer to download required files and install them
11. Click close to exit the installer.

Updating EmotivBCI:

We highly recommend keeping your app up to date with the latest version so that you can
benefit from new features and bug fixes and so that you can maximize compatibility
between various EMOTIV apps that you may have.

Our auto-updater tool (which is a part of EMOTIV App) will let you know when a new update
is available. Please follow the instructions in the updater tool when these updates are
available.
Logging in
When you open EmotivBCI, you will be asked to login via EMOTIV App. Please click on the
hyperlink and enter your EmotivID and password that was used while downloading your
EmotivBCI software in the indicated fields on the EMOTIV App. You can also double click on
the EMOTIV App icon found in your computer's top right corner and enter your credentials.

Alternatively, you can log in using your Facebook account. This needs to be the same
Facebook account that was used when downloading your EmotivBCI software licence.

Note: You need to be online the first time you login to EMOTIV App so that the application
can authenticate your credentials.
Create an account
If you do not have an EmotivID, click on “Create Account” and follow the instructions on our
website.
Forgot password
If you cannot remember your password, click on “Forgot Password” under the login fields to
reset your password and follow the instructions provided.
Access account
To view your account information or change your password, visit your Account page on our
website. To access this via the application:

1. Click on the user icon in the top right hand corner of the application
2. Click on “Account” in the dropdown menu
Logging out
To logout:

1. Click on the EMOTIV App icon in the top right hand corner of your computer
2. Click on settings at top right of the Applet
3. Click on “Log out”

Note: Logging out of the EMOTIV App will log you out from all EMOTIV Applications
Offline use
You can EmotivBCI offline. However, if you are offline, your training profiles will not be
synced to other devices and your training profiles will not be updated in the cloud to be
accessed by other applications.(e.g. BCI Node-RED toolkit) To keep your profile up to date
for use with other applications or devices, we recommend using EmotivBCI while connected
online.
Setting up your EEG device
In this section:

Connecting your EEG headset

Disconnecting your headset
Fitting your headset
Contact quality map
Contact quality indicator
Battery indicator
EPOC+ configurations
Connecting your headset
EmotivBCI is compatible with EMOTIV EPOC, EPOC+, EPOC X, and INSIGHT headsets.
Before you connect your headset to EmotivBCI, make sure your device’s battery is charged.

Bluetooth connection

To connect the application with your device using Bluetooth (BTLE 4.0) on Mac OS:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on MacOS

2. Turn on your headset.

3. Open EmotivBCI and click 'Connect headset'
4. You will see a headset appear in the device list.
5. If you do not see a device listed, click Refresh
. If more than one device is available, select the device you wish to connect to by clicking
Connect

To connect the software with you device using Bluetooth (BTLE 4.0) on Windows:

1. Open setting for “Bluetooth and other devices”

2. Turn on your headset

 3. Turn on Bluetooth and click “Add Bluetooth or other device”

4. Select Bluetooth
=> =>

Note: if you see the form "Couldn't connect", it is because your PC don't have a BTLE
driver built-in. you need a BTLE adapter to use BTLE function.

5. Device should appear on the list of available devices and pair

Check your Emotiv headset device on the "Bluetooth & other devices" form.
. Open EmotivBCIand click 'Connect headset'
7. You will see a headset appear in the device list. If you do not see a device listed, click
on the refresh button.
. Click on “Connect” next to the device you want to use to connect your device. If more
than one device is available, click on the device you wish to connect to.

Additional Notes:

1. If status of the headset is "Connected", it is ready to Connect in Emotiv applications

and Cortex API
2. If status of the headset is "Paired", please turn on your headset to make it connect to
windows BT manager
3. If status of the headset is "Connected", but you still cannot connect to it in Emotiv apps
or Cortex API, please remove it out of device list on the "Bluetooth & other devices" form
(but still keep the headset on)
4. Battery strength will effect to quality establish a connection. please make sure you
charged your headset before using BTLE
5. Bluetooth shares the 2.4 GHz ISM band with other household devices such as cordless
telephones, wireless networks, baby monitors, and microwave ovens. Avoid using your
wireless devices near common sources of interference, such as power cables,
microwave ovens, fluorescent lights, wireless video cameras, and cordless phones.
 . If you see issues with your Bluetooth devices that you suspect might be due to
frequency congestion see AirPort and Bluetooth: Potential sources of wireless
interference for further information.
7. Bring your Wi-Fi device and Wi-Fi router closer together. Bring the Bluetooth devices that
are connecting to each other closer together.
Disconnecting your headset
To disconnect your headset from EmotivBCI:

1. Unplug the dongle or turn off the headset using power button on the device.
2. Disconnecting the device may take up to 30 seconds.
Fitting your headset
Follow the instructions provided in the application on how to fit your EMOTIV EPOC, EPOC+,
EPOC X or INSIGHT headset. If you do not want to see these instructions every time you
connect a device, just check the “Do not show this again” checkbox.
Contact quality map
Accurate data collection depends on good sensor contact and EEG signal quality. The
contact quality display is a visual representation of the current contact quality of the
individual headset sensors. You can observe each sensor’s status in real time to adjust
sensors to optimize contact quality. The color coding is as follows:

Green - good
Orange - moderate
Red - poor
Black - very poor
Contact quality indicator
The contact quality indicator shows you in real time your overall contact quality averaged
across all sensors on your headset.
Battery indicator
Battery level shows you at all times and shows you the percentage of battery you have
remaining in your headset.
EPOC+ and EPOC X configurations
You can configure your EPOC+ and EPOC X's EEG sample rate, EEG resolution, motion data
sample rate, and motion data resolution through the EmotivBCI application. There are no
configuration setting for Emotiv EPOC and INSIGHT headsets.

To configure your EPOC+ or EPOC X:

1. Plug in your EPOC+ or EPOC X device to your PC using the USB cable that came with
your EPOC+ (unplug the USB cable from the mains plug)
2. Open the EPOC+ or EPOC X configuration settings by clicking on the headset name in
the top center of the application
3. Select your configuration. Your headset will update automatically as you make your
selections
4. Unplug your EPOC+ or EPOC X device from your PC

Note: if you are connected to your computer via Bluetooth, the EPOC+ or EPOC X can only
run at 128 Hz for EEG and a maximum of 64 Hz for motion data.

Viewing this configuration menu during real time streaming will show your current device
settings even when your headset is not plugged in directly to your PC via USB cable. Cable
connection only required to update the settings.
Demographic data collection
Your ability to speak multiple languages, play a musical instrument, level of education and
occupation can dramatically change how your brain behaves. When you first login to the
app you will see a form asking you to provide some demographic details about yourself.
Filling in this form will help us improve our detections and provide you with the best results.
Menu and navigation
You can navigate through main features of EmotivBCI using the left side menu. This menu
is always visible on high resolutions screens. For low resolution screens, you can access
this menu when needed by clicking on the menu icon in the top left corner of the
application.

With this menu you can access the following features which will display in the main
application display area:

Mental Commands: train and test Mental Commands (discrete thoughts) that can later
be used to control various things around you
Facial Expressions: train and test Facial Expression recognition which can later be
used as triggers to control devices around you
Performance metrics: view real time data streams for EMOTIV Performance Metrics
Motion Sensors: view a real time data stream from your headset’s 9-axis motion
sensors
Training profiles
In this section:

Your training profiles

Creating a training profile
Changing training profile
Editing training profile name
Deleting training profile
Guest mode
Your training profiles
Training data sets for mental commands and facial expressions are stored in training
profiles attached to your EmotivID. Your EmotivID account can store multiple training
profiles. You may want multiple training profiles to experiment with different training
strategies or to customize for different applications.

To get best results, please ensure that every time you try to use different training strategy
you create a new profile.

When you train mental commands or facial expressions in EmotivBCI application, you will
be requested to select or create new training profile if you haven't created one before.

Note: When you run BCI applications or integrations, such as those created by Node-RED,
you will be asked to select which training profile you want to use.
Creating a training profile
To create a training profile click “Create new profile” on the “Select training profile” screen
and enter a profile name in the pop up screen before clicking “Create”
Changing training profile
To change the training profile you are using, access “Select training profile” screen from the
user dropdown menu on the top right of the application header and click on “Training
profiles”.
Editing training profile name
To edit the name of a training profile hover over the profile you would like to rename and
click on the "pencil" icon and change the name of the profile in the pop. Click “Save” to
save your changes.
Deleting training profile
To Delete a training profile hover over the profile you would like to delete and click on the
"trash" icon and click “Yes, delete” in the confirmation pop up.
Guest mode
If you want to showcase EmotivBCI to a friend or colleague it is extremely important that
you do not let them use one of your existing training profiles OR create a new profile under
your user account as this will result in data pollution and reduce the accuracy of the
detections for your account. Specifically for these cases we created Guest mode.

To use Guest mode click “Use guest mode” on the “Select training profile screen”.

Guest mode will create a disposable profile that will remain active until the next time you
access the app or choose a different profile.

Guest profile data is not stored in your EmotivID account. If you would like to save training
profiles for another person, you can create and sign into the application with a different
EmotivID.
Mental Commands
In this section:

Overview
Training neutral
Training your first command
Accept or reject training
Training feedback
Command level
Brain Space Diagram
Adding new commands
Deleting commands
Live mode
Adjusting sensitivity
Tips and Tricks
Overview
Our algorithm for Mental Commands works using pattern recognition and requires that you
train at least one Neutral state and one Command state. The system learns to recognize the
patterns of brain activity that are related to your Command state compared to your Neutral
state. Though you can start using a profile after training a Command only one time, we
highly recommend you do repeat trainings for each Command and for your Neutral state.
The more training that you do, the better the system will be able to detect the pattern of
brain activity associated with your Command thought AND the better you will get at
learning how to recreate that thought in your mind.

We have associated the the Mental Commands inside EmotivBCI with the movements of a
cube including Push, Pull, Left, Right, Up, Down, Rotate, Disappear. This way you can
practice using your command inside the app in Live mode and get feedback that it is
working or not. Outside of the application, however, you can associate these commands to
any digital output you choose, even if they are not related to the movement of an object. For
example, your “Up” command can be used to turn on the smart lights in your home using
Node-RED.
Training neutral
Before you can train any commands you need to train a Neutral state. Your Neutral brain
activity will be used as a contrast to your brain activity during your command training.
What is most important is that you do not think about any of your Command thoughts
during your Neutral training. Other than that, you can hang out relaxed and let your mind
wander. For advise on training, visit our Tips and Tricks.

To train Neutral, click on the Train button that appears to the right of the Neutral box. You
will then be asked to hold a Neutral state for 8 seconds. During this time the cube will not
move.
Training your first command
Once you have trained Neutral you are ready to train your first Command. Commands are
thoughts that you will recreate in your mind when you want to trigger the action associated
with it. Your goal is to perform thoughts that are:

1. reproducible, so that you can create the same “brain state” as required, and
2. separable (if your profile contains more than one Command), so that the system’s
machine learning algorithms can easily recognize each action and distinguish them
from each other.

For advise on training, visit our Tips and Tricks. Once you have decided on the thought you
will use for this action, you are ready to begin.

To train your first Command, click on the unlocked command box and select the type of
command you would like to train. Once you have selected your preferred Command click
“Train”. You will then be asked to hold a hold the Command thought in your mind for 8
seconds. During this time the cube will move according to the action you selected.

If you get distracted during any training, you can click on Cancel under the timer to stop the
training session. No data will be added to your profile in this case.
Accept or reject training
You have the choice to Accept or Reject each training that you do. Accepted trainings will be
added into your current Training Profile and the profile will be immediately updated.
Rejected trainings will be discarded and not added to your profile.

The first two trainings of each profile will seed the foundation of your profile. If you feel you
are adequately able to hold your Command thought in your mind during each of these two
trainings, select Accept. If not, you can select Reject and try again.
Training feedback
After two command trainings, the app provides feedback on each training to help you
identify a good training from a bad training and inform your decision as to Accept or Reject
it. This feedback is displayed on a 1-100 scale and is based on how consistent the training
you just did is with previous trainings in your profile.

The GOAL marker (at 75) indicates where a good training would land. Any training above
the GOAL is very likely to improve your profile. Any training significantly below the GOAL is
likely to reduce the quality of your profile. If you repeatedly get low scores, you may want to
start again with another strategy. A different thought may be easier for you to reproduce
more consistently in your mind. See our Tips and Tricks for more help.
Command level
Every time you Accept a command and it gets added into your profile, this command will
increase its level by one. Command levels appear beside the command box on the Mental
Commands screen and are equal to the amount of Accepted trainings.
Brain Space Diagram

The Brain Space Diagram gives you feedback on the quality of your Training Profile and
can guide your training process. In the Brain Space Diagram, colored dots represent your
Neutral state (pink) and each of your trained Commands for the current Training Profile.
The further apart the dots are on the diagram, the better separated out the Commands are
in your Training Profile and the easier you are likely to find it to trigger them independently.
The closer they are to each other, the more similar they are and the harder you will find to
trigger them in isolation.

If there are two dots quite close to each other in the diagram, we recommend doing more
training sessions for these Commands (including Neutral). If you are struggling to separate
out the dots on the diagram after repeated trainings, we recommend deleting troublesome
Commands or starting a new profile to try a new strategy. See our Tips and Tricks for help.

The Brain Space Diagram will be updated after every Accepted training.
Adding new commands
To add a new Command to your Training Profile, click on the unlocked command box and
select the type of command you would like to train. Once you have selected your preferred
Command select it and click “Train”. You can add up to four Commands for every Training
Profile.

WARNING: Adding more Commands to your profile makes controlling the Commands much
more difficult. We do not recommend trying out more Commands until you are comfortable
the the number you currently are working with. Learn more about working with multiple
Commands in our Tips and Tricks.
Deleting commands
If you would like to delete all of your training data for a single Command you can do so by
selecting a command you want to delete and clicking on the icon.

When asked, confirm your action by clicking “Yes, Delete Command” in the pop up.
Deactivating commands
If you would like to temporarily turn off one or more of the commands within your Training
Profile, you can do so by toggling the switch to the left of those commands.

Turning a command OFF will adjust your Training Profile to only include the remaining
commands. This will usually result in increased performance for the active commands. Use
this feature if you want to use a subset of commands within a profile.

Toggle the switch again to turn the command back ON.

Note 1: You must have one command active at all times.

Note 2: Deactivating a command in EmotivBCI will deactivate it for other applications

running on your computer (e.g. Node-RED).
Training modes
You can choose to do your Mental Commands training in two different modes

1. Animated mode animates the cube the same way every time according to the action
being trained ("Live training feedback" toggle OFF).
2. Live mode moves the cube during the training session according to how well you are
activating that command. ("Live training feedback" toggle ON). This mode can be
accessed once you have trained a command.

Use the "Live training feedback" toggle on the main training screen to switch between these
two modes.
Live mode
If you would like to try out the Commands you have trained already and see how those
perform you can do so by accessing Live Mode. To access Live Mode simply click on the
Live Mode button on the Mental Commands screen. Once inside Live Mode, the cube will
respond to your brain activity in real time, based on your current Training Profile.

Power Meter

In LIVE mode you will also see a power meter showing the real time detection of commands
in your Profile. Since this meter does not include the animations and physics that the cube
does, it is a more quantitative representation of your performance.
Adjusting sensitivity

If you would like to adjust the sensitivity of individual Mental Commands in Live Mode you
can do so by clicking on 'settings' icon in the Live Mode and adjusting the sliders against
individual commands.

Moving the slider to the right (10) will increase the sensitivity of the command making it
easier to trigger. Moving the slider to the left (1) will make the command harder to trigger.
Tips and Tricks
Choosing your thought: The thought that you train on and use for your Mental Commands
can be anything. They can be literal (i.e. you can try and focus on pushing the virtual box)
or they can be as abstract as you like (i.e. where push is associated with visualizing a scene
or counting backwards from 500 in steps of 7). The possibilities are endless. Different
strategies work best for different people, so try a few out.

If you are training a profile with one command, you want to make that one command as
strong and distinct as possible. One way to achieve this is to use something that is multi-
modal - i.e. something that contains different sensory and kinematic (related to movements
of your muscles) components all together. If you have a strong disposition toward any of
these modalities (e.g. you are a musician and so can easily imagine auditory sounds), you
may find focusing on this single modality works best for you.

If you are training a profile with multiple commands, you may find you get best results if
each of your commands uses a single and different sensory or kinematic modality (e.g. one
that is visual, one that is auditory and one that is kinematic). What is most important is that
they are distinct from each other and you are able to recreate them accurately in your mind
repeatedly.

You may also find that associating different hand gestures or postures with a Command
can help to better reproduce them.

Multiple commands: The more Commands that are in a profile the harder it is to trigger
them independently. For best results, we recommend becoming confident with one
command before trying a profile with two, and for becoming confident with two commands
before trying a profile with 3, etc.

Training sequence: If you are training a profile with one command, we recommend that you
alternate training of the Command with training of the Neutral state. This will provide the
best contrast for your profile.

If you plan to develop a profile with multiple commands, we recommend adding in all of the
Commands at an early stage in the training process, rather than perfecting one Command
before adding in the others. This way you can, from the beginning, ensure that the
Commands are well separated from each other and work well together. You may find that
cycling through them in sequence for training gives you the best result.

Words of encouragement: Controlling machines with your mind is hard. Do not be

discouraged if you are not able to master mind control right away. Being able to recreate a
thought in your mind at will is something that take practice for most of us to learn. It is like
learning how to generate certain patterns of brain activity to learn how to walk or talk.
Practice certainly does help and you will likely find that with repeated trainings, your ability
to trigger a command at will becomes much easier.

The ability to clear your mind of distracting thoughts while focusing on a particular one can
be a great way to train your brain to have better focus in other situations. Indeed, some
people use Mental Commands training to challenge and train their attentional control
generally.
Facial Expressions
In this section:

Overview
Using default detections
Training facial expressions
Training neutral
Training your first expression
Expression level
Adding new expressions
Delete expression
Live mode
Adjusting sensitivity
Use default detections
Overview
As well as detecting electrical activity from your brain, EMOTIV headsets also detect activity
from your facial and eye muscles since these emit electrical signals as well. Rather than
isolating and discarding the signals from these muscles, we put them to use to identify
facial expressions and eye movements that you can use as control inputs as well.
Training facial expressions
On top of the default detections for Facial Expressions, you can train a subset of these
expressions - Frown, Clench, Smile, Surprise - to personalize them for you. In most cases,
training your own expressions rather then using default detections will give you more
precise control.
Training neutral

Before you can train any Facial Expressions you need to train a Neutral expression. Your
Neutral training will be used as a baseline to contrast with your expression training. During
this Neutral training, the most important thing is to relax the muscles of your face. You can
let your mind wander in any way.

To train a Neutral expression select Neutral and click on Train button that appears to the
right of the command box. You will then be asked to hold a Neutral state for 8 seconds.
During this time you will see a face with no expression.
Training your first expression
Once you have trained Neutral you are ready to train your first Facial Expression. For best
results, you want to hold that expression for the entire duration of the training.

To train a Facial Expression, click on Train next to the expression you would like to train.
You will then be asked to hold that expression for 8 seconds. During this time you will see a
face with that expression.
Expression level
Every time you train a Facial Expression, this expression will increase its level by one.
Expression levels appear beside the expression box on the Facial Expressions screen and
are equal to the amount of trainings completed.
Adding new expressions
You can train Facial Expressions at any time by selecting “Train” next to that expression.
Delete expression
If you would like to delete your training data for a single expression you can do so by
selecting an expression you want to delete and clicking on the “trash can” icon. When
asked, confirm your action by clicking “Yes, delete expression” in the pop up.
Live mode
If you would like to try out the expressions you have trained already and see how those
perform you can do so by accessing Live Mode. To access Live Mode simply click on the
Live Mode button on the Facial Expressions screen. Once inside Live Mode, the face will
respond to your brain activity in real time, based on your current Training Profile.
Adjusting sensitivity

If you would like to adjust the sensitivity of individual facial expressions you can do so by
clicking on 'settings' icon in the Live Mode and adjusting the sliders against individual
expressions.

Moving the slider to the right (10) will increase the sensitivity of the command making it
easier to trigger. Moving the slider to the left (1) will make the command harder to trigger.
Use default detections

EmotivBCI comes with a set of default detections for Facial Expressions that can be used
“out of the box”. You can try those immediately by accessing Live Mode on the Facial
Expressions screen.

If you would like to use the default detections supplied with EmotivBCI instead of your
trained expressions you can do so by un-checking the “Use training detections” box on the
sensitivity pop up in Live Mode.
Performance Metrics
In this section:

Overview
Definitions
Frequency rate
Turn streams on/off
Toggle all streams on/off
Overview
The Performance Metrics view displays the results of our EMOTIV Performance Metrics
algorithms for cognitive states. Select “PERFORMANCE METRICS” in the left side menu to
access this view. This view allows you to test out and see how EMOTIV’s Performance
Metrics work, so that you can more effectively apply them in any BCI integration.

Performance Metrics data is displayed in the application on a scaled axis from 0 to 100.
The graph shows historical data while the number on the left side shows the current value
of each metric.
Definitions
Performance Metrics include 6 metrics:

Focus is a measure of fixed attention to one specific task. Focus measures the depth of
attention as well as the frequency that attention switches between tasks. A high level
of task switching is an indication of poor focus and distraction.
Engagement is experienced as alertness and the conscious direction of attention
towards task-relevant stimuli. It measures the level of immersion in the moment and is
a mixture of attention and concentration and contrasts with boredom. Engagement is
characterized by increased physiological arousal and beta waves along with
attenuated alpha waves. The greater the attention, focus and workload, the greater the
output score reported by the detection.
Interest is the degree of attraction or aversion to the current stimuli, environment or
activity and is commonly referred to as Valence. Low interest scores indicate a strong
aversion to the task, high interest indicates a strong affinity with the task while mid-
range scores indicate you neither like nor dislike the activity.
Excitement is an awareness or feeling of physiological arousal with a positive value. It
is characterized by activation in the sympathetic nervous system which results in a
range of physiological responses including pupil dilation, eye widening, sweat gland
stimulation, heart rate and muscle tension increases, blood diversion, and digestive
inhibition. In general, the greater the increase in physiological arousal the greater the
output score for the detection. The Excitement detection is tuned to provide output
scores that reflect short-term changes in excitement over time periods as short as
several seconds.
Stress is a measure of comfort with the current challenge. High stress can result from
an inability to complete a difficult task, feeling overwhelmed and fearing negative
consequences for failing to satisfy the task requirements. Generally a low to moderate
level of stress can improve productivity, whereas a higher level tends to be destructive
and can have long term consequences for health and wellbeing.
Relaxation is a measure of an ability to switch off and and recover from intense
concentration. Trained meditators can score extremely high relaxation scores.
Frequency rate
Performance Metrics are shown at 0.1Hz, which is the frequency rate the Performance
Metric API will output at with a BASIC license for application with Node-RED or another third
party application. X-axis is number of samples.
Turn streams on/off
You can turn individual Performance Metrics on and off in the view to focus on the data
you are most interested in.

To do this:

1. Click on the eye icon in the top right corner of the view
2. Deselect any data stream that you do not want to see
3. Select any data stream that you want to see
4. Click outside of the popup to close and return to the main view
Toggle all streams on/off
You can toggle all Performance Metrics on and off in the Performance Metrics view. To do
this:

1. Click on the eye icon in the top right corner of the view
2. Click on Toggle All button in the pop up
3. Click outside of the popup to close and return to the main view
Motion sensors
In this section:

Overview
Definitions
Frequency rate and resolution
Turn streams on/off
Toggle streams on/off
Overview
Motion sensors display data concerning your headset’s position and orientation using a
combination of absolute orientation (magnetometer), acceleration (accelerometer) and
rotation vectors (quaternion) data in a ten channel time series graph. Select “MOTION
SENSORS” in the left side menu to access this view.

Alternatively, for your EPOC+ devices, you can choose to view a 3D visualisation of the
motion sensor represented by a cube. The 'cube' represents accurate rotation of the device
along X, Y and Z axes. The user can 'Calibrate' the cube by turning the headset on and
clicking the 'Calibrate' button which sets the cube to Position 0. The 'mirrored' display is
checked by default so that the pink marker points towards the user when headset is worn
correctly. If the mirrored option is unchecked, the pink pointer faces away from the user and
the blue marker points towards the user.
The 'Rotation' gauge on the left represents cube rotation along Y axis and can also be
called pointing direction. With position 0 set arrow in vertical position. That 'Roll' gauge in
the middle represents rotation of the cube along Z axis, and can also be described as roll
left or right and is seen as a from the top view where pink and blue dots on the gauge stay
in the fixed position. Position 0 is when line set in horizontal position on the gauge. The
'Pitch' gauge on the right represents cubes rotation along X axis, can also be described as
tilt up or down. Position 0 is when the arrow is set in a horizontal position on the gauge.

For older EPOC+ headsets, (Firmware <0x633) motion sensors display data concerning your
headset's position and orientation using a (gyroscope), acceleration (accelerometer) and
absolute orientation (magnetometer) measurements.

*Note - Epoc Flex does not support Motion data currently

Definitions
Motion sensor graphs include 10-axis motion sensors for Insight and EPOC+ headsets:

Quaternion 0, 1, 2, 3 - quaternion data in X, Y and Z directions and absolute quaternion

values
AccX, AccY and AccZ - accelerometer in X, Y and Z directions
MagX, MagY and MagZ - magnetometer in X, Y and Z directions

Motion sensor graphs for older Insight and Epoc+ headsets (firmware < 0x633) include 9-
axis motion data:

GyroX, GyroY and GyroZ - gyroscope in X, Y and Z directions

AccX, AccY and AccZ - accelerometer in X, Y and Z directions
MagX, MagY and MagZ - magnetometer in X, Y and Z directions
Frequency rate and resolution
The resolution of Motion Sensor data for EPOC is 128 Hz and 12-bits, and for INSIGHT
headsets is 64 Hz and 14-bits. The resolution for EPOC+and EPOC X is 16-bits and can be
32 or 64 Hz (or OFF) depending on the headset’s configuration and whether or not it is
connected via Bluetooth. When EPOC+ or EPOC X is connected to Bluetooth, the rate is
limited to 64 Hz. For EPOC Flex, the resolution is 8 bits and the sampling rate is 16 Hz.
EPOC headsets include GyroX and GyroY sensors only. X-axis is samples.
Turn streams on/off
You can turn individual Motion Sensor streams on and off in the view to focus on the data
you are most interested in. To do this:

1. Click on the eye icon in the top right corner of the view
2. Deselect any data stream that you do not want to see
3. Select any data stream that you want to see
4. Click outside of the popup to close and return to the main view
Toggle all streams on/off
You can toggle all Motion Sensor on and off in the Motion Sensor view. To do this:

1. Click on the eye icon in the top right corner of the view
2. Click on Toggle All button in the pop up
3. Click outside of the popup to close and return to the main view
OSC
Open Sound Control (OSC) is a universal communications protocol optimized for modern
networking to enable connections between computers and other multimedia devices.
EMOTIV’s BCI-OSC enables EMOTIV Brainwear® and Virtual Brainwear® to interface with a
wider variety of OSC compatible hardware and software applications. OSC allows you to
send mental commands, facial expressions, or performance metrics to an external, network-
connected device.
Example connection with MaxMSP
Once you subscribe to the OSC module, the tab is enabled in BCI. The following example
demonstrates a connection of EMOTIV BCI with MaxMSP, which is a visual programming
language for music and multimedia.

1. Connect a simulated device or an OSC compatible EMOTIV Brainwear®

2. Choose a training profile to connect to the external device.
3. Select Sending mode: Unicast to Self
4. Set the IP: 127.0.0.1
5. Set the Port: 8000
. Choose the Data stream you want to connect: Facial expressions, Mental Commands,
or Performance Metrics
7. Click Start
. Open Max MSP, go to File > Package Manager and install CNMAT Externals
9. Go to https://github.com/Emotiv/opensoundcontrol/tree/develop (need permission to
access) and check the table with OSC Address Patterns
10. Create (replicate) the nodes below and change OSC-route according to whichever OSC
Pattern you wish to address (in the example image, Facial expressions/Smile) - check
table in the previous step for the addresses.
11. Open Processing and go to Sketch > Import Library… > Add Library , search and install
oscP5
12. Open a new File.
13. Import oscP5 to the code and initialize an instance listening to port 12000. Example
code (copy and paste in Processing):
 import oscP5.*;
//OSC receive
OscP5 oscP5;
// This value is set by the OSC event handler

float importedValue = 0;
float radius;

void setup() {
size(1200,1000);

// Initialize an instance listening to port 12000

oscP5 = new OscP5(this,8500);
}

void draw() {
background (0);
// Scale up imported value
radius = importedValue * 1000;

// Display circle at location vector

stroke(255);
strokeWeight(2);
fill(255);
ellipse(500,500, radius, radius);
println(radius);

void oscEvent(OscMessage theOscMessage) {

float value = theOscMessage.get(0).floatValue();

importedValue = value;
}

14. Click the Play button and watch the graphics change according to Smile. importedValue
is associated with the circle radius.
15. Open any example code in File > Examples..
16. Associate importedValue with any float variable from any Library to play around. Be
sure to:

Import oscP5;

import oscP5.*;
//OSC receive
OscP5 oscP5;
// This value is set by the OSC event handler

Initialize importedValue (before void setup);

float importedValue = 0;

Initialize oscP5 (place it inside void setup);

// Initialize an instance listening to port 12000

oscP5 = new OscP5(this,8500);

Associate the event with the variable importedValue (place it after void draw);

void oscEvent(OscMessage theOscMessage) {

float value = theOscMessage.get(0).floatValue();

importedValue = value;
}
Release notes
Though we highly recommend using our online installer that keeps you up to date on the
latest versions of our applications, you can contact Support for offline version-locked
downloads of particular releases.

In this section:

V1.5
V1.5.1
V1.6
V1.6.1
V1.6.2
V1.7
V1.8
V2.0
V2.1
V2.2.1
V2.3
V2.4.1
V2.5
V2.6
V2.6.1
V2.6.2
V2.6.3
V 1.5
Features

Guest mode
Mental Commands training and live mode
Mental commands Brain Space visualisation
Mental commands training visual feedback
Facial Expressions training
Low Resolution Performance Metrics live stream
Motion sensors live stream
EmotivBCI Training profiles
V1.5.1
Updates to support the use of Training Profiles across EmotivBCI and other applications.
V1.6
Enhancements and features

EmotivPRO now supports new motion sensors for the latest models of EPOC+
headsets (Firmware version> 633)
The ICM-20948 based motion sensor features 3 axis-gyroscope, 3 axis-accelerometer
and a digital motion processor
The motion data stream contains quaternion data in 10 channel time series graph for
Q0, Q1, Q2, Q3, ACCX, ACCY, ACCZ, MAGX, MAGY, and MAGZ for the new motion
sensors
V1.6.1
Enhancements and Features

SSL certification renewed

V1.6.2
Bug fixes

Minor bug fixes

V1.7
Many new updates and features are included in V1.7.

You can now temporarily Deactivate a Command (e.g. Push, Pull) within a Training
Profile to improve the detection for the other commands in the profile
LIVE mode now includes a Power Meter alongside the cube animation to more
quantitatively display your activation of commands.
You can now choose to have Real Time Feedback during training.
Additional improvements have also been made to the baseline protocol and the
Performance Metrics legend.
V1.8

Enhancements and features

EmotivBCI now supports real time 3D visualisation of the new motion sensors for
EPOC+
Users can now log in using their Facebook account in addition to their EMOTIV ID
V2.0
Enhancements and features

EmotivBCI 2.0 is now integrated with our latest Cortex 2.0 increasing reliability,
performance and overall stability of the product
BCI is now available as part of our single, centralized installer EMOTIV App which
allows you to download all our EMOTIV Application suite and manage licenses more
effectively
The Contact Quality warning pop up lets users know if their headset's CQ is below
acceptable thresholds. Higher contact quality ensures better data and more robust
training
v2.1

Bug fixes

EmotivBCI 2.1 fixes some known issues with Cortex service crashes
v 2.2.1
Bug fixes

EmotivBCI 2.2.1 fixes some known issues with Cortex service performance issues
v 2.3
Enhancements and features

Updated Contact quality threshold to match threshold values in PRO

Bug fixes

EmotivBCI 2.3 fixes some known issues with headset connectivity

v2.4.1
Enhancements and features

EmotivBCI now supports EPOC X, EMOTIV's tenth anniversary edition headset

Bug fixes

EmotivBCI 2.4.1 fixes some known issues with database on fresh installations
v2.5
Enhancements and features

Emotiv BCI now supports Mn8, EMOTIV's latest brainwear

Added support for custom Performance Metrics for Mn8: Cognitive Stress and Auditory
Attention

Bug fixes

Performance enhancement and minor bug fixes.

v2.6
Bug fixes

Performance enhancement and minor bug fixes.

v 2.6.1
Enhancements and features

Emotiv BCI now supports OSC, Open Sound Control module

EMOTIV’s BCI-OSC enables you to connect your EMOTIV Brainwear® and convert
multiple data streams to a universal OSC format — giving you real-time control of
multimedia processors.

Bug fixes

Performance enhancement and minor bug fixes.

v2.6.2
Enhancements and features

Bluetooth support added for MacOS 11 for all EMOTIV Brainwear®

v2.6.3
Enhancements and features

A video tutorial link is now available to assist with headset fitment and contact quality
Mental commands and Facial expressions are now included in PRO export file for all
BCI data created in live mode.

Bug fixes

Performance enhancement and crash fixes