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ElectricGuru's
main screen. For a life-size view,
click
here.
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ElectricGuru
Here's
a chance to get a sneak peek at a work in progress.
ElectricGuru is a computer program for neurofeedback.
Although it's not yet ready for public release,
the author has agreed to post it here for downloading
so people who are working on the BuildCheapEEG
project can obtain it conveniently.
The
program is at an early stage of development, and
the version offered here is rough and incomplete.
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Features
The
current version of the program uses a fast Fourier
transform to extract frequency bands from the
raw signal. The band width can be set by the user
as low as .125 Hz. Two independent code modules
are incorporated internally to calculate FFTs
so results can be verified by comparison. A simulator
is built into the program to facilitate verification.
Numerous graphs are displayed including a brain
mirror. Magnitude and phase are both shown. The
program plays a tone as a reward signal.
Limitations
In
the current version, threshholds can be set for
only one frequency band at a time. (For example,
you can train for higher alpha or lower theta,
but you can't train for both simultaneously.)
This version lacks digital filters and uses only
FFT for signal processing. No written instructions
for using the program are available.
System
requirements
The
program requires a computer with one of the following
versions of Windows: 95, 98, ME, or 2000. It also
needs DirectX 7.0 or higher which can be downloaded
for free here
on the Microsoft website.
Minimum
hardware requirements are unknown due to lack
of testing. The program runs on a machine with
a 200 MHz Pentium II CPU and 128 MB of memory,
and can probably run on less powerful machines.
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order to practice neurofeedback with this program,
you need both an EEG machine and a computer. (If
you just want to see how the program looks on the
screen, you can run it in simulation mode without
an EEG machine, but you can't do neurofeedback that
way.) Currently, three EEG machines are supported:
the RS232EEG, the BrainMaster, and the HAL. (For
more information about these machines, see Links
below.)
Known
Bugs
There
are two serious known bugs:
- If
a screen saver blanks the screen, the program
crashes.
- On
some systems, the reward tone plays continuously
instead of beeping intermittently.
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| ElectricGuru
requires an EEG machine. Three machines are
compatible, including the BrainMaster, shown
here. |
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Before downloading, please be aware that:
1.
The program is at an early stage of development.
It is incomplete and may contain serious bugs
in addition to the known bugs that are documented
here.
2.
The program is not intended for medical purposes.
3.
No warranties or claims are made for this software.
You use it at your own risk.
4.
Important info for BrainMaster users: this program
sets the BrainMaster to a faster speed than the
one used by the regular BrainMaster software.
Once this happens the regular BrainMaster software
will not operate correctly because it expects
the machine to run at slow speed. To avoid this
problem, ElectricGuru has a Snail Icon (it looks
like a yellow French horn). Click this icon to
set the BrainMaster back to slow speed before
you run the regular BrainMaster software.
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RS232EEG
The
RS232EEG, developed by Jörg Hansmann, is
the most sophisticated of the three EEG machines
with which ElectricGuru is compatible. For schematics
and other information, see Jörg's
website. The machine is discussed in the German-language
BrainWaves
mail group and the English-language BuildCheapEEG
mail group.
BuildCheapEEG
This
English-language mail group is devoted to development
of new neurofeedback hardware and software on
the open-source model. It is led by Yaniv Vilnai.
BrainMaster
Home Page
The BrainMaster
is a small, relatively inexpensive EEG machine
for home biofeedback use. Of the three machines
that are compatible with Electric Guru™,
this is the only one that is currently available
for purchase from retailers. If you want to buy
one, we recommend that you contact Andy
Dolan at Dynamind because he gave a friend
of ours a very good price. There are at least
two mail lists devoted to the BrainMaster including
this
one.
HAL
The HAL is
the oldest and least-sophisticated EEG machine
that's compatible with ElectricGuru™.
For information on the HAL kit, click here;
for the HAL newsgroup, click here;
for Circuit Cellar, which developed the HAL plans,
click here.
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| RELATED
PAGES ON THIS SITE |
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Neurotech
This
is our main reference page about neurofeedback
and other technology for inducing meditative states.
It includes a number of related links.
This
page was published on April 15, 2001
and last revised on January 21, 2002.
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