A simplified design of a cEEGrid ear-electrode adapter for the OpenBCI biosensing platform

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Ear-based electroencephalography (ear-EEG) offers a discreet and accessible method for monitoring brain activity.
• Existing ear-EEG systems can be complex, costly, and prone to mechanical artifacts.
• There is a need for simplified, robust, and cost-effective ear-EEG solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a simplified, replicable ear-centered sensing system using OpenBCI Cyton & Daisy amplifiers and cEEGrid electrodes.
• To demonstrate the system's capability in capturing both large-amplitude facial muscle activities and neural activity.
• To validate the system's potential for detecting specific physiological events, such as jaw clenching.

Main Methods:

• Utilized OpenBCI Cyton & Daisy biosignal amplifiers and flex-printed cEEGrid ear-EEG electrodes.
• Implemented a simplified design focusing on component reduction and improved cable management to minimize mechanical artifacts.
• Applied adaptive filters for artifact removal and conducted a user study to assess detection capabilities.

Main Results:

• The simplified system design effectively reduces component sourcing and assembly complexity.
• Demonstrated robust detection of jaw clenching events, distinguishing them from 26 other facial activities in a single-user study.
• Successfully captured modulations in alpha and beta band power, indicative of mental workload.

Conclusions:

• The developed ear-EEG system is a valuable prototyping platform for advancing ear-based electrophysiological sensing.
• It offers a low-cost alternative to commercial systems, with potential applications in managing bruxism and monitoring cognitive states.
• The system's design improvements enhance data quality by reducing mechanical artifacts.