Getting Started

This documentation contains guidance for developing applications with EMOTIV Cortex - the core piece of technology at EMOTIV which brings the brain computer interface to consumer.

The intended audience is anyone with some programming skills who wants to develop a third party application that interacts with an EMOTIV headset.

The Cortex API is built on JSON and WebSockets, making it easy to access from a variety of programming languages and platforms.

System requirements and supported platforms

Learn more about the system requirements and support platforms for Cortex.

Supported headsets

Currently, Cortex supports the following headsets:

Model	Firmware	Connection
EPOC	All	USB dongle
EPOC+	All	USB dongle, BLE 4.0
EPOC X	All	USB dongle, BLE 4.0 Bluetooth® 5.0 will be available with upcoming software and firmware updates
EPOC Flex	All	USB dongle, BLE 4.0
Insight	All	USB dongle, BLE 4.0
Insight 2.0	All	BLE 4.0
MN8	All	BLE 4.0
Flex	All	nRF dongle with BLE 5, BLE 5.x

USB dongle refers to the USB receiver that comes with EPOC+. If you need an additional receiver, you can purchase it from the EMOTIV store.

Currently, it is not possible to use a Flex or a MN8 headset with Cortex on Linux Ubuntu and Cortex on Raspberry Pi.

Prerequisites

Create an EmotivID

As with other EMOTIV services, you are required to have an EmotivID account. You can create an ID on www.emotiv.com.

License

If you’re ready to start developing with EMOTIV’s Cortex SDK, one of your first steps is registering your Cortex App ID. Whether you’re working with consumer devices like the Insight or MN8, or exploring options with professional-grade hardware such as the EPOC X or EPOC Flex, this guide will walk you through how to get started with consumer devices.

Understanding Cortex API Access Levels

EMOTIV’s Cortex SDK supports multiple EEG and behavioral data streams. These are grouped into Basic (BCI API) and Premium categories:

Basic (BCI API) Includes:

• Mental Commands API

• Facial Expression API

• Frequency Band API

• Motion Data API

• Low-resolution Performance Metrics (0.1 Hz)

Premium API Includes:

• Raw EEG API

• High-resolution Performance Metrics (2 Hz)

Consumer devices (Insight, MN8) will allow access to all data streams through our Developer SDK and API. You can register here to get started: https://www.emotiv.com/pages/developer. Professional devices (EPOC X and EPOC Flex) include free access to the Basic BCI API. To access the Premium API, however, a premium Developer API license is required. If you don't have a valid Developer API license, please submit your SDK application here and specify the level of data stream you wish to access with your professional device. Our support team will then guide you on the appropriate licensing option to get started.

Create a Cortex App

To learn how to register your Cortex App ID and begin development, please refer to this guide.

The Cortex Examples

To help you getting started with your application, EMOTIV provides basic examples in various programming languages. There are open source and hosted by Github at https://github.com/Emotiv/cortex-v2-example

If you have difficulty with the Cortex API, you can also open an issue on this Github repository.

Next Step

If you are upgrading your application from Cortex 1.x to Cortex 2.x, then please be aware that the Cortex API has significantly changed. Please read the release notes for details.

If you are new to the Cortex API, then please start with Connecting to the Cortex API.