Logic Coin : Part 3 - Data Collection

Continuing on with the thought experiment initiated by a comment on @dragosroua article on alternate coins.

In Part 1 and Part 2, we learned that brainwaves can be detected and that different activities create different brainwaves. We also learned that the brainwaves that beta waves(Β) are the ones that represent logical thinking. And finally, we learned that we need to track beta waves within a certain parameter.

A perfect Logic Miner would be pushing
10 μV waves at about 18-22 per second.

Obviously, we wouldn't want a requirement of our miners to be hooked up to a stationary EEG machine at a doctor's office, hospital or clinic. For one, continuing to ask for an EEG readout while you concentrate on a task to create logical thoughts would soon lead you to the poor house or the insane asylum. We would need something that would be portable, yet powerful enough to read the brainwaves that are produced when creating logical thought.

DIY / Maker

As with everything, there is an Instructable for creating your own EEG monitor with Arduino. But, the problem with that is the reliability of these homebrew wearables and the ability to connect to a system that can verify the data sent out of them. While there are companies that sell the modules for creating an EEG monitor, I think it would be best to focus on factory built versions. Maybe in the future, when the technology advances more, Logic Coin could have it's own device that people would buy, that would have the transaction app built-in, but that's getting ahead of ourselves.

Professional / Open Source

Above is the Ultracortex "Mark IV" EEG Headset which is an openSource 3D printed headset. It retails for USD$349.99 and that doesn't include the sensor board that can cost between USD$199.99 and USD$949.99. This would be too expensive and probably too hard to setup for most people and discourage miners. While it would be great to see the brainwaves from 8 or 16 points on your brain, I think that would probably be overkill at this point.

OpenBCI is the place to look at if you are actually interested in building your own EEG monitor from scratch either DIY or using opensource tools. Good luck with that.

Consumer

That leads us to the consumer level EEG headset option. Unlike Virtual Reality headsets, EEG headsets haven't taken off, so there aren't a lot of competitors fighting for the space. Beyond the ones I will go over below, there are others that might be used to control toys or for meditation purposes only. While that is cool and neat, it really isn't very useful for our needs.

• Muse
• EMOTIVE
• NeuroSky

Muse

A very slick looking shape with three points of contact on the forehead and a total of 7 sensors. Priced at around USD$250, the Muse is the second highest in cost, but it does look good. The headset holders that lay just behind the ears do not look as awkward as other headsets, because of the symmetrical shape.

The Muse has an API kit for developers to download, but general information about what data is retrieved is light. Without downloading the API kit, I don't know if it would even focus on Beta waves and determine frequency and amplitude. Since the Muse marketed as a brain trainer, my guess is the data won't be useful for checking for logical thought, but more for determining if you are relaxing or generating alpha and other waves.

EMOTIVE

EMOTIVE has the EOPC+, which is geared towards more scientific research and costs USD$799.00. It also has the INSIGHT, which is only USD$299.00, but is the highest priced of the three presented here. It has 5 EEG sensors, plus an additional 2 reference sensors. In the product description, it provides how many samples per second the device takes and the lowest amplitude it will detect, which is lower than the Beta waves we are looking for.

• Data transmission rate: 128 samples per second per channel
• Minimum voltage resolution: 0.51μV least significant bit

The API can access Beta waves, but not in raw format. More research would have to be done to see if this would be enough information for Logic Coin. Raw data is retrieved through a subscription and other costs, which would be limiting.

NeuroSky

The NeuroSky MindWave is the least expensive of the three at USD$79.99 for the headband itself and USD$99.99 for one with apps included. You can buy other kits, like one to make yourself pretend your are a Jedi or one to fly a small helicopter. There is even something for you to wear when you sleep to train your brain to relax.

When you get one that works they are great. Don't bother purchasing if you don't use Amazon Prime. I've ordered three of these for use in my EEG lab and only one of three has worked without having to return it. Even in light of this, the product is worth 5-stars, especially for research use, because there is an OpenVibe driver that works with it. It is the cheapest data acquisition tool available for quantitative EEG measurements.

The lower price comes with some caveats. Apparently it is a crap shoot in getting one that works, but when it does work it is great. You get raw data from the sensors and the developer tools are open for creating whatever measurement you want to measure.

And as a possible quick solution to an app for Logic Coin, with the purchase of an app, the data can be exported to a CSV file.

MyndPlay Pro, $99: An easy to use program. Allows you to record, track Raw Waves, Power Bands, Attention, and Meditation values. The data can be exported into CSV. The user can also record while watching a video and track the data in sync with the video.
However, that means that capability is probably in the API and we could just export the data we need to a CSV to be uploaded to a server to verify the Proof of Thought (POT).

Of the three, NeuroSky MindWave is the most promising. The API seems to be a lot more open than EMOTIVE and we have access to the raw data. And of course, the price point is a definite seller. Also, if you need to train your brain to be a better Logic Coin miner, MindWave can also do that.

As with any assumption, it will take a little bit of testing to determine if we can do what we actually say we think we can do.

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Let the positive energy sing!

More Power to the Minnows!!