Neuro Sky - The Science

The Science

The human brain is made up of billions of interconnected neurons; the patterns of interaction between these neurons are represented as thoughts and emotional states. Every interaction between neurons creates a minuscule electrical discharge; alone these charges are impossible to measure from outside the skull. However, the activity created by hundreds of thousands concurrent discharges aggregates into waves which can be measured.

Different brain states are the result of different patterns of neural interaction. These patterns lead to waves characterized by different amplitudes and frequencies; for example waves between 12 and 30 hertz, Beta Waves, are associated with concentration while waves between 8 and 12 hertz, Alpha Waves, are associated with relaxation and a state of mental calm. (The contraction of muscles is also associated with unique wave patterns, isolating these patterns is how some NeuroSky devices detect blinks.)

Unfortunately all electrical activity produces these waves (even light bulbs), thus all electrical devices create some level of ambient “noise”; this “noise” interferes with the waves emanating from the brain, this is why most EEG devices will pick up readings even if they are not on a person’s head. Reading mental activity through these waves is like trying to eavesdrop on a conversation at a loud concert. In the past, EEG devices circumvented this problem by measuring these signals in environments where electrical activity is strictly controlled and increasing the signal strength of the data coming from the brain through the application of a conductive solution.

However, most people don’t have rooms in their house devoid of electronic devices nor do they want to apply a conductive liquid to their head every time they use a BCI device. NeuroSky has developed complex algorithms built into their products which filter out this “noise”. (, only in reference to the noise bit)

NeuroSky’s white paper claims the ThinkGear technology has been tested at 96% as accurate as that within research grade EEGs.

NeuroSky is also selling non-contact sensors to research institutions. These are dry electrodes that can measure brainwaves millimeters from the scalp and thus can easily be worn over hair. These sensors are a significant technological breakthrough in that they are the only non-contact EEG sensors ever developed.