Towards Brain Research in a Pocket: Bringing EEG Research and Diagnostics out of the Lab

Bringing brain research tools like EEG devices out of the lab into the pockets of practitioners and researchers may fundamentally change the way we perform diagnostics and research. While most of the current techniques are limited to research clinics and require excessive set-up, new consumer EEG devices connected to standard, off-the-shelf mobile devices allow us to lift these limitations. This allows neuropsychological assessment and research in mobile settings, possibly even in remote areas with limited accessibility and infrastructure, thus bringing the equipment to the patient, instead of bringing the patient to the equipment. We are developing an Android based mobile framework to perform EEG studies. By connecting a mobile consumer EEG headset directly to an unmodified mobile device, presenting auditory and visual stimuli, as well as user interaction, we create a self-contained experimental platform. We complement this platform by a toolkit for immediate evaluation of the recorded data directly on the device, even without internet connectivity. Initial results from the replication of two Event Related Potentials studies indicate the feasibility of the approach.