Abstract
This paper evaluates whether water-based and dry contact electrode solutions can replace the gel ones in measuring electrical brain activity by the electroencephalogram (EEG). The quality of the signals measured by three setups (dry, water, and gel), each using 8 electrodes, is estimated for the case of a brain-computer interface (BCI) based on steady state visual evoked potential (SSVEP). Repetitive visual stimuli in the low (12 to 21Hz) and high (28 to 40Hz) frequency ranges were applied. Six people, that had different hair length and type, participated in the experiment. For people with shorter hair style the performance of water-based and dry electrodes comes close to the gel ones in the optimal setting. On average, the classification accuracy of 0.63 for dry and 0.88 for water-based electrodes is achieved, compared to the 0.96 obtained for gel electrodes. The theoretical maximum of the average information transfer rate across participants was 23bpm for dry, 38bpm for water-based and 67bpm for gel electrodes. Furthermore, the convenience level of all three setups was seen as comparable. These results demonstrate that, having optimized headset and electrode design, dry and water-based electrodes can replace gel ones in BCI applications where lower communication speed is acceptable.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Kübler, A., Birbaumer, N.: Brain-Computer Interfaces and Communication in Paralysis: Extinction of Goal Directed Thinking in Completerly Paralysed Patients. Clinical Neurophysiology 119, 2658–2666 (2008)
Cheng, M., Gao, X., Gao, S.: Design and Implementation of a Brain-Ccomputer Interface with High Transfer Rates. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 49, 1181–1186 (2002)
Garcia-Molina, G., Zhu, D., Abtahi, S.: Phase Detection in a Visual-Evoked-Potential Based Brain Computer Interface. In: Proceedings of the 18th European Signal Processing Conference, EUSIPCO, pp. 949–953 (2010)
Regan, D. (ed.): Human Brain Electrophysiology: Evoked Potentials and Evoked Magnetic Fields in Science and Medicine, 1st edn. Elsevier (1989)
Gao, X., Xu, D., Cheng, M., Gao, S.: A BCI-Based Environmental Controller for the Motion-Disabled. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering 11, 137–140 (2003)
Lalor, E.C., Kelly, S.P., Finucane, C., Burke, R., Smith, R., Reilly, R.B., McDarby, G.: Steady-State VEP-Based Brain-Computer Interface Control in an Immersive 3D Gaming Environment. Eurasip Journal on Applied Signal Processing 19, 3156–3164 (2005)
Friman, O., Lüth, T., Volosyak, I., Gräser, A.: Spelling with Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials. In: Proceedings of the 3rd International IEEE EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering, pp. 354–357 (2007)
Garcia-Molina, G., Mihajlović, V.: Spatial Filters to Detect Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials Elicited by High Frequency Stimulation: BCI Application. Biomedical Engineering 55, 173–182 (2010)
Zhu, D., Bieger, J., Garcia-Molina, G., Aarts, R.M.: A Survey of Stimulation Methods Used in SSVEP-Based BCIs. Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience (2010)
Fisher, R.S., Harding, G., Erba, G., Barkley, G.L., Wilkins, A.: Photic- and Pattern-Induced Seizures: a Review for the Epilepsy Foundation of America Working Group. Epilepsia 46, 1426–1441 (2005)
Webster, J.G. (ed.): Medical Instrumentation: Application and Design, 3rd edn. Wiley (1997)
Alba, N.A., Sclabassi, R.J., Sun, M., Cui, X.T.: Novel Hidrogel-Based Preparation-Free EEG Electrode. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering 18, 415–423 (2010)
Alizadeh-Taheri, B., Smith, R.L., Knoght, R.T.: An Active, Microfabricated, Scalp Electrode Array for EEG Recording. Senosors and Actuators A, 606–611 (1996)
Harland, C.J., Clark, T.D., Prance, R.J.: Remote Detection of Human Electroencephalograms using Ultrahigh Input Impedance Electric Potential Sensors. Applied Physics Letters 81, 3284–3286 (2002)
von Ellenreider, N., Spinelli, E., Muravchik, C.H.: Capacitive Electrodes in Electroencephalography. In: Proceedings of the 28th IEEE EMBS Annual International Conference, pp. 1126–1129 (2006)
Sullivan, T.J., Deiss, S.R., Cauwenbergs, G.: A Low-Noise, Non-Contact EEG/ECG Sensor. In: Proceedings of the IEEE Biomedical Circuits and Systems Conference, BIOCAS, pp. 154–157 (2007)
Fonseca, C., Cunha, J.P.S., Martins, R.E., Ferreira, V.M., de Sá, J.P.M., Barbose, M.A., da Silva, A.M.: A Novel Dry Active Electrode for EEG recording. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 54, 162–165 (2007)
Chi, Y.M., Deiss, S.R., Cauwenberghs, G.: Non-Contact Low Power EEG/ECG Electrode for High Density Wearable Biopotential Sensor Networks. In: Proceedings of the Sixth International Workshop on Wearable and Implantable Body Sensor Networks, BSN, pp. 246–250 (2009)
Ruffini, G., Dunne, S., Farrés, E., Marco-Pallarés, J., Ray, C., Mendoza, E., Silva, R., Grau, C.: A Dry Electrophysiology Electrode Using CNT Arrays. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical 132, 34–41 (2006)
Ruffini, G., Dunne, S., Farrés, E., Marco-Pallarés, J., Ray, C., Mendoza, E., Silva, R., Grau, C.: First Human Trials of a Dry Electrophysiology Sensor Using Carbon Nanotube Array Interface. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical 144, 275–279 (2008)
Griss, P., Tolvanen-Laakso, H.K., Stemme, P.M.G.: Characterization of Micromachined Spiked Biopotential Electrodes. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 49, 597–604 (2002)
Gramatica, F., Carabalona, R., Casella, M., Cepek, C., Fabrizio, E.D., Rienzo, M.D., Gavioli, L., Matteucci, M., Rizzo, F., Sancrotti, M.: Micropatterned Non-Invasive Dry Electrodes for Brain-Computer Interface. In: Proceedings of the 3rd IEEE-EMBS International Summer School and Symposium on Medical Devices and Biosensors, pp. 69–72 (2006)
Chiou, J.C., Ko, L.W., Lin, C.T., Hong, C.T., Jung, T.P., Liang, S.F., Jeng, J.L.: Using Novel MEMS EEG Sensors in Detecting Drowsiness Application. In: Proceedings of the IEEE Biomedical Circuits and Systems Conference, BioCAS, pp. 33–36 (2006)
Matteucci, M., Carabalona, R., Casella, M., Fabrizio, E.D., Gramatica, F., Rienzo, M.D., Snidero, E., Gavioli, L., Sancrotti, M.: Micropatterned Dry Electrodes for Brain– Computer Interface. Microelectronic Engineering 84, 1737–1740 (2007)
Lin, B.C.T., Ko, L.W., Chiou, J.C., Duann, J.R., Huang, R.S., Liang, S.F., Chiu, T.W., Jung, T.P.: Noninvasive Neural Prostheses Using Mobile and Wireless EEG. Proceedings of the IEEE 96, 1167–1183 (2008)
Chang, C.W., Chiou, J.C.: Surface-Mounted Dry Electrode and Analog-Front-End Systems for Physiological Signal Measurements. In: Proceedings of the IEEE/NIH Life Science Systems and Applications Workshop, LiSSA, pp. 108–111 (2009)
Ng, W., Seet, H., Lee, K., Ning, N., Tai, W., Sutedja, M., Fuh, J., Li, X.: Micro-Spike EEG Electrode and the Vacuum-Casting Technology for Mass Production. Journal of Materials Processing Technology 209, 4434–4438 (2009)
Dias, N., Carmo, J., da Silva, A.F., Mendes, P.M., Correia, J.: New Dry Electrodes Based on Iridium Oxide (IrO) for Non-Invasive Biopotential Recordings and Stimulation. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical 164, 28–34 (2010)
Taheri, B.A., Knight, R.T., Smith, R.L.: A Dry Electrode for EEG Recording. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology 90, 376–383 (1994)
Matthews, R., McDonald, N.J., Hervieux, P., Turner, P.J., Steindorf, M.A.: A Wearable Physiological Sensor Suite for Unobtrusive Monitoring of Physiological and Cognitive State. In: Proceedings of the 29th IEEE EMBS Annual International Conference, pp. 5276–5281 (2007)
Gargiulo, G., Calvo, R.A., Bifulco, P., Cesarelli, M., Jin, C., Mohamed, A., van Schaik, A.: A New EEG Recording System for Passive Dry Electrodes. Clinical Neurophysiology 121, 686–693 (2010)
Grozea, C., Voinescu, C.D., Fazli, S.: Bristle-Sensors–Low-Cost Flexible Passive Dry EEG Electrodes for Neurofeedback and BCI Applications. Journal of Neural Engineering 8 (2011)
Chi, Y.M., Jung, T.P., Cauwenberghs, G.: Dry-contact and Non-contact Biopotential Electrodes. IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering 3, 106–119 (2010)
Ferree, T.C., Luu, P., Russell, G.S., Tucker, D.M.: Scalp Electrode Impedance, Infection Risk, and EEG Data Quality. Clinical Neurophysiology 112, 536–544 (2001)
Chi, Y.M., Wang, Y.T., Wang, Y., Maier, C., Jung, T.P., Cauwenberghs, G.: Dry and Non-contact EEG Sensors for Mobile Brain-Computer Interfaces. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering PP, 1–7 (2011)
Kitoko, V., Nguyen, T.N., Nguyen, J.S., Tran, Y., Nguyen, H.T.: Performance of Dry Electrode with Bristle in Recording EEG Rhythms Across Brain State Changes. In: 33rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE EMBS, pp. 59–62 (2011)
Zander, T.O., Lehne, M., Ihme, K., Jatzev, S., Correia, J., Kothe, C., Picht, B., Nijboer, F.: A Dry EEG-System for Scientific Research and Brain–Computer Interfaces. Frontiers in Neuroscience 5 (2011)
Popescu, F., Fazli, S., Badower, Y., Blankertz, B., Müller, K.R.: Single Trial Classification of Motor Imagination Using 6 Dry EEG Electrodes. PloS One 2, e637 (2007)
Sellers, E.W., Turner, P., Sarnacki, W.A., McManus, T., Vaughan, T.M., Matthews, R.: A Novel Dry Electrode for Brain-Computer Interface. In: Jacko, J.A. (ed.) Human-Computer Interaction, Part II HCII 2009. LNCS, vol. 5611, pp. 623–631. Springer, Heidelberg (2009)
Luo, A., Sullivan, T.J.: A User-Friendly SSVEP-Based Brain–Computer Interface using a Time-Domain Classifier. Journal of Neural Engineering 7, 1–10 (2010)
Volosyak, I., Valbuena, D., Malechka, T., Peuscher, J., Gräser, A.: Brain-Computer Interface using Water-Based Electrodes. Journal of Neural Engineeting 7 (2010)
Welch, P.D.: The Use of Fast Fourier Transform for the Estimation of Power Spectra: A Method Based on Time Averaging over Short, Modified Periodograms. IEEE Transactions of Audio and Electroacoustics 15, 70–73 (1967)
Dornhege, G., del R. Millán, J., Hinterberger, T., McFarland, D.J., Müller, K.R. (eds.): Medical Instrumentation: Application and Design, 1st edn. The MIT Press (2007)
Garcia-Molina, G., Zhu, D.: Optimal Spatial Filtering for the Steady State Visual Evoked Potential: BCI application. In: 5th International IEEE EMBS Neural Engineering Conference (2011)
Mihajlović, V., Jäger, M., Asvadi, S., Asjes, R.: Flexible Dry Electrodes for Usage in Daily Life Situations (2012) (submitted for publication)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Mihajlović, V., Garcia-Molina, G., Peuscher, J. (2013). Dry and Water-Based EEG Electrodes in SSVEP-Based BCI Applications. In: Gabriel, J., et al. Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies. BIOSTEC 2012. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 357. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38256-7_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38256-7_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-38255-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-38256-7
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)