A team of researchers from Taiwan has designed a non-invasive mobile and wireless EEG-based brain-computer interface (BCI) system for continuously monitoring high-temporal resolution brain dynamics without requiring conductive gels applied to the scalp.

The system has online EEG signal acquisition and real-time signal processing. It can be used in many applications, such as alerting drivers to drowsiness.

The cap contains five embedded dry electrodes on the wearer’s forehead, and one electrode behind the left ear, that acquire EEG signals. The EEG signals are wirelessly transmitted to a data receiver, where they are processed in real-time by a dual-core processor. The BCI system includes Bluetooth transmission for distances of 10m or less (e.g., for driving applications), as well as RF transmission for distances up to 600m (e.g., for potential sports applications). Next, the processed signals are transmitted back to the cap, where the data can be stored, displayed in real-time on a screen, or used to trigger an audio warning, if necessary.