Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MoBI (Scientist for neurophysiological research applications in Mobile Brain/Body Imaging)

Teaser

For more than 20 years, Brain Products is operating in the continuously changing market of neurophysiological research, whereby we develop and produce complex systems for non-invasively measuring the electrical activity of the human brain with electroencephalography (EEG). Our...

Summary

For more than 20 years, Brain Products is operating in the continuously changing market of neurophysiological research, whereby we develop and produce complex systems for non-invasively measuring the electrical activity of the human brain with electroencephalography (EEG). Our products have been developed and designed in very close cooperation with our customers, who are mainly neurophysiology researchers and scientists.

Mobile Brain/Body Imaging (MoBI) is a new approach to imaging human brain dynamics in natural settings. This increasingly popular technique allows researchers to investigate brain activity supporting cognition that unfolds in synchrony with active behaviour, thereby overcoming the restrictions of traditional brain imaging methods. Brain imaging studies have described the functional architecture of the human brain; however, these studies only provide a limited understanding of the brain’s functional activity because subjects are not permitted to move due to technological constraints or for risk of contaminating the signal. Brain Products’ portable and wireless LiveAmp amplifier, along with our advanced active electrode technology, overcome these restrictions and allow for subject mobility while still recording high-quality EEG signals from the brain (see Fig. 1). MoBI research becomes increasingly important for society as it allows us the possibility to understand brain activity in real-life scenarios which possesses more generalizability than typical lab-based brain imaging methods. Research institutes and companies are interested in knowing how the brain works when people are driving a car, flying a plane, or even while playing competitive sports. Moreover, especially in the case of movement disorders or rehabilitation after injury, the research accomplished in the field of MoBI will help scientists not only better understand corresponding neural associations, but also better develop and implement therapies and treatments in this direction.

The goal of this project was to gain shares in this growing and promising market of mobile wearable EEG devices. In order for Brain Products to have increased visibility and market gains in the MoBI field, several approaches were combined to achieve this.

Features of the LiveAmp (see Fig. 1):
• Wireless, flexible, outstanding signal quality
• Expandable (8, 16, 32, 64 ch)
• 1000 Hz Sampling Rate
• 24 bit
• Hyperscanning
• Up to 30m Range
• Stream Data or Store on SD Card
• Ultra-Lightweight (<60g)
• Compact (85 x 51 x 14 mm)

Work performed

To gain visibility and grow our reputation as a reliable and strong competitor in the field of wearable EEG devices, the Innovation Associate worked on strategic marketing campaigns and fostering customer relationships. These marketing campaigns involved exhibiting at various neuroscientific conferences, promoting the MoBI Award (www.mobi-award.com), curating content for the BCI+ website (https://bci.plus) and creating instructional content for distributors to be able to sell the concept of an end-to-end MoBI solution to potential customers. These campaigns were strategically planned and executed to create interest in our products, as well as to foster already-existing customer relations. The Innovation Associate successfully established and developed relationships with key customers in the field.

These relations were helpful for establishing our presence in the MoBI community, as well as showing that we are company who is proudly supporting the researchers’ scientific endeavours. These activities lead towards increased visibility in the scientific community through publication, as well as from a broader, non-scientific audience.

To gain shares in the MoBI market, LiveAmp sales must be increased. Given that Brain Products does not do direct sales, but rather distributes through 27 distributing companies in 50 countries worldwide, our network of distributors (see Fig. 2) must be able to effectively sell the Brain Products mobile solution. For this reason, we developed the Distributor Demo Kit (DDK) within the scope of this project. With the DDK, we now have a very user-friendly way for our distributors and booth staff to efficiently demonstrate Brain Products’ hardware and software solutions to the MoBI market (see Fig. 3). The innovation for this project was represented with the clever and well-thought out combination of some key pieces of equipment from our widely diverse portfolio, business to business collaborations, and integration of hardware and software products. Until now within our company, aside from training and support, we have left our distributors to handle their demonstrations and sales cases in an independent manner. The introduction of the DDK is novel as it provides a standardized, yet still streamlined and flexible way to showcase the MoBI solution in a variety of demonstration scenarios. The arrangement of equipment and systematic paradigm presentation can only be considered an improvement from the previous way of conducting demonstrations. Work involved in seeing the DDK to fruition included thoughtful arrangement of our MoBI-related hardware, communication strategies within and between departments, programming software integration for flexible stimulus presentation, recording and data analysis, as well as providing DDK-based narratives and marketing materials. The end-users of this product are our distributors and booth staff, who will have different use cases for the application of the DDK; therefore, the innovation of the DDK arises in the level of flexibility the distributor has within one stream-lined and standardized framework. Subsidiary companies and distributors receive online training in the form of webinars, written instructional guides for the setup and intended use of this tool, as well as aided troubleshooting and support from Brain Products staff.

Final results

Brain Products’ mobile solution for wireless EEG research enables scientists to be able to record gold-standard quality lab data with a portable, compact amplifier all while providing an end-to-end solution from research question to data analysis. With increased awareness of our mobile solution and more effective (and successful) demonstrations at customer labs and conference booths, Brain Products and its’ global network of distributors will be equipping more labs worldwide with hardware and software solutions to perform MoBI research. MoBI research will help us understand how the brain functions in natural settings and how cognition unfolds with bodily movements. These findings will not only help with understanding the brain from a neuroscientific perspective but will also aid in the development of future therapies and treatments for neuromuscular disorders, as well as foster the field of brain-computer interfaces. This has far-reaching applications for optimizing how humans interact with machines in natural settings, such as while operating a motor vehicle or with prosthetic limbs. We expect to impact the field in terms of gaining market shares, increasing our presence as a strong competitor in the MoBI field, strengthening our reputation within the scientific community, as well as seeing an increased number of peer-reviewed scientific publications using our LiveAmp amplifier and integrated hardware and software solutions.