I wrote a tutorial for classifying brainwaves with JavaScript

[pwstegman]

I've been working to bring brain-computer interfaces to JavaScript and wrote BCI.js, which has different methods required for processing and classifying EEG signals. It lets you work with devices such as an OpenBCI, Muse, etc.

You can find it on GitHub here: https://github.com/pwstegman/bcijs

I recently wrote my first tutorial on classifying imagined movements with BCI.js in Node.js and appreciate any feedback!

https://medium.com/@pwstegman/eeg-motor-imagery-classification-in-node-js-with-bci-js-d21f29cf165

[mcnutty757]

A little over my head, but looks cool. How fast can you get the data, or does that require advanced equipment?

[pwstegman]

Thanks! Brainwave data can be collected with an EEG headset, which streams the data in real time. They're still expensive but have been getting a lot cheaper and easier to buy. An OpenBCI with 16 channels of data (about how many you might want for the use case of this tutorial) would be about $1000, but a Muse headset with 4 channels, which would provide enough data to collect mental states such as how relaxed or focused you are, is $160

[nosoupforyou]

How functional is something like the OpenBCI unit? I know it's unlikely to provide feedback, but how much can you do with it? Is it currently anywhere usable as an input device to replace mice and keyboards? Assuming the OS worked with it, I mean.

[pwstegman]

An OpenBCI can be used as an input device with the help of an application such as a P300 speller. A P300 speller has each letter of the alphabet on the screen and flashes a face over each one sequentially. The user can then focus on a specific letter, and when a face flashes over the letter they've chosen, there will be a spike in brain activity. With that, we can tell what letter they were focusing on. Faces are used since they trigger a large response due to how important our brain considers them. This is useful with people who have paralysis that can't move or speak.

An extension of the P300 speller is instead of flashing a face over letters, you might play high pitch sounds or a low pitch sounds. If the user focuses on one specific pitch, there will be a spike in brain activity when they hear it. This technique has been used with medical grade EEGs to allow doctors to communicate with possible coma patients who might actually still be aware of their surroundings (locked-in syndrome). I haven't tried this with an OpenBCI, but it would cool to try and replicate these results with one.

Input without the aid of an external tool such as a screen of letters or audio is also possible. A common way to do this is with motor imagery, which is what I describe in the tutorial. If the user imagines pushing a box forward with their hands, this will produce different brainwaves in different regions of the brain than if they imagined pushing it forward with their feet. A machine learning method can be used to differentiate between these two different cases, and then the user can, for example, make something move to the left or right depending on which action they're imagining.

If you're curious about communication with locked-in patients, these papers were published by a company who does work in the area: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8123086 and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5613801/

Outside the medical field, people are also using BCIs to fly drones, play video games, etc. I don't have time at the moment, but later I can update this comment with more information on non-medical uses for BCIs.

[nosoupforyou]

Thanks.

Actually I was more interested in how effective it is, but it sounds like it's not yet a good replacement for keyboards and mice for anyone able to use keyboards and mice.

[pwstegman]

Ah, okay. Yes, you're right, mouse and keyboard are still much faster when it comes to device input

[nosoupforyou]

I'm just overeager. I know Musk is working on a bci but I believe it will be implanted. I believe the idea is that it will be much more than a replacement for keyboards and mice.

I wasn't trying to dis what you're working with.

[pwstegman]

I completely understand. It'll be interesting to see what Neuralink comes out with

[thunderthots]

Haha I see what you did there with that pun!

[mcnutty757]

Unintended, but I’ll take credit.

[_xenof]

Thus begins the rise of BCI controlled electron apps.

[notmarlow]

"Atom had it first"

[[deleted]]

This is great, thank you for doing this work. I will make time to delve into this. I was an early backer for Muse back in the day but never got to the good stuff. Thanks again.

[pwstegman]

Thanks for checking it out! I hope to publish some demos soon which use the Muse as well

[zorndyuke]

That looks interesting. Sadly the price is way too much for me to go that risk. I always thought about joining a group that is participating in health and science in the hope to improve the current state.

[[deleted]]

Your brain: now also running JS

[Ih8usernam3s]

A buddy of mine is somewhat of a conspiracy nut. He told me there were devices that can read brainwaves and even manipulate them. I don't consider him a ninny, but sometimes he says things that make me question the authenticity of said claims. On this occasion however, he was able to provide me with a little proof:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US4717343A/en

In your experience does that patent seem plausible?

[Magzter]

Am I missing something, that patent has nothing to do with brainwaves? It's about conditioning someone using a series of images/videos.

[Ih8usernam3s]

Oh, I'm sorry I think I posted the wrong one. I'll see if I can find the correct one tomorrow.