Learn more about the system requirements for EmotivPRO.

EmotivPRO is EMOTIV’s end-to-end solution for neuroscience research. EmotivPRO enables you to build and publish neuroscience experiments; as well as acquire and analyze EEG data all in one integrated software environment. EmotivPRO has five license options to choose from:

• Lite

• Student

• Standard

• Standard Team

• Performance

To find out more about each licence , please visit the EmotivPRO webpage. The EmotivPRO user manual will help you get started with EmotivPRO and understand how to use its various features.

If you have any queries beyond the scope of this user manual, please get in touch with EMOTIV Support, who will be happy to help you.

Emotiv Launcher will notify you when an update for EmotivPRO is available. We recommend that you update EmotivPRO to the latest version when you’re notified. Keeping EmotivPRO up-to-date means you benefit from new features, bug fixes, and continue its compatibility with other Emotiv applications.

To install EmotivPRO, you must first download EMOTIV Launcher—EMOTIV’s centralized installer for its suite of applications.

For more information on installing EMOTIV Launcher on your computer, please refer to the EMOTIV Launcher User Manual.

There are five different licenses to access EmotivPRO:

• Lite

• Student

• Standard

• Standard Team

• Performance

For further information about each license, please visit the EmotivPRO webpage. Only one license is permitted per EmotivID.

To view your account information, change your password, or view your EmotivPRO license:

1. Go to the account page on the EMOTIV website.

2. Login to your account using your EmotivID and password.

3. The My Account page will open. Select the information you want to view about your account from the left-hand menu.

You can also view your account information from the EMOTIV Launcher:

1. Open EMOTIV Launcher. To do this, go to your computer’s system tray and click on the brain icon.

2. Click on the Account tab.

3. Click on Manage Subscriptions. This will take you to the website account page.

To log in to EmotivPRO:

1. Open EMOTIV Launcher. To do this, go to your computer’s system tray and click on the brain icon.

2. Log into EMOTIV Launcher using your EmotivID and password. You can also log in using your Facebook account (the same Facebook account you used when purchasing your EmotivPRO license).

Note: You need to be connected to the internet when trying to log in to EMOTIV Launcher for the first time. This will allow the application to confirm your subscription is active.

• If your Windows PC does not have a BTLE driver built in, you will need a BTLE adaptor to connect your headset to your PC via Bluetooth. ‌

• On Windows, when your headset is connected to Bluetooth it will show as connected in the Bluetooth settings window. It should then be available to connect to in EmotivPRO.

• If your headset is already paired to your computer, power cycle the headset to reconnect it to your device.

• If your headset is showing as connected to your device, but you still cannot connect it to EmotivPRO or Cortex API, remove the headset from the Bluetooth & other devices devices list, but keep your headset turned on.

• Make sure that your headset’s battery is fully charged before connecting it via Bluetooth.

• Bluetooth shares a 2.4 GHz ISM band with other household devices, such as cordless telephones, wireless networks, baby monitors, and microwave ovens. Avoid using your headset near common sources of interference, such as power cables, microwave ovens, fluorescent lights, wireless video cameras, and cordless phones.

• If you are experiencing connection issues with your headset that you suspect might be due to frequency congestion, see AirPort and Bluetooth: Potential sources of wireless interference for further information.

• If your headset and Bluetooth are not connecting with each other, move them closer together to see if it improves the connection.

To log out of your account:

1. Open EMOTIV Launcher

2. Click on Settings at the top right of the window.

3. Click on Log out.

Note: By logging out of the EMOTIV Launcher, you will be logged out of all EMOTIV applications.

To disconnect your headset from EmotivPRO, unplug the USB receiver dongle or turn your headset off. It can take up to 30 seconds for your headset to disconnect.

Accurate EEG data collection depends on good sensor contact with the scalp and good EEG signal quality.

The contact quality map shows you a visual representation of the current contact quality at each individual sensor on your headset. Each sensor’s contact quality status can be seen in real time, so you can adjust them (if needed) to achieve 100% contact quality.

The contact quality statuses are:

• ‌Green - good

• Orange - moderate

• Red - poor

• Black - very poor

Please note: The contact quality map for EPOC Flex will only show the sensors that have been configured.

To cancel your EmotivPRO license:

1. Login to your EMOTIV account.

2. Click on Subscriptions.

3. Click on Cancel next to your EmotivPRO license and follow the instructions.

Note: Cancellation of a PRO license is subject to the terms and conditions of our Subscription and Cancellation terms.

EmotivPRO allows you to view data streams and frequency analyses in real time whenever your headset is connected: both during a recording and when you’re not recording. EmotivPRO also allows you to open and playback saved recordings, including all data streams and frequency analyses.

Note: EPOC Flex now supports Performance Metrics if you map the sensors in the EPOC X configuration.

If you’re in an environment with high levels of Bluetooth interference, we recommend using a USB receiver dongle to pair with your headset. To pair your headset with a USB receiver dongle: ‌

1. Plug in the USB receiver dongle to your computer’s USB port. The LED above the power symbol should start blinking (about once a second) to show that it is broadcasting.

2. Turn your headset on. When you turn your headset on, a second LED will light up, and the LED above the power symbol will become fainter and flicker more rapidly. When your USB receiver dongle does this, it is paired with your headset.

3. You can now connect your headset to EmotivPRO.

If you experience any issues when pairing your EEG headset with a USB receiver dongle, please refer to your headset's user manual.

EmotivPRO allows you to take recordings of all data streams for playback, analysis and export.

You can take recordings in any of EmotivPRO’s data stream views (Raw EEG, Performance Metrics, Motion Sensors, FFT/Band Power and Data Packets). You can view the EEG data streams while you’re recording.

What is EEG Quality?

EEG Quality (EQ) has been built to give you an easy way to assess whether you are recording high quality brain signals or not. Basically, it is a scoring system for the quality of the signal in each sensor. Each sensor is given a black, red, orange, light green or dark green colour to indicate the quality of the EEG signal for that specific sensor.

Overall EEG Quality as displayed in your EMOTIV application is presented as a score of 0-100. This number makes it easy to understand the quality of your signal at a glance. How do we calculate it? See below.

How is EEG Quality Different to Contact Quality?

Contact Quality is a simple measurement of impedence of the channel. While this measurement is used widely in neuroscience and medical settings, it is really only a useful reading to a trained EEG professional and does not give the full picture on the quality of the signal. Signals that have low impedance are not necessarily brain signals - and you might have found that sitting your headset on the table can produce a false positive - leading the user to falsely believe they are recording high quality brain data.

Okay, but what actually is EQ?

EEG Quality is a machine-learning trained algorithm that automatically determines the quality of the signal based on multiple metrics. Each of these metrics are important in assessing whether the recording data accurately captures the underlying brain signal. These metrics include

• Contact Quality (CQ) (as above) - an impedance measurement that indicates the quality of the electrical signal passing through the sensors and the reference. It can be one of 4 values: 0 - very bad (black), 1 - bad (red), 2 - ok (orange) and 4 - good (green).

• ML Signal Quality (SQ): A machine learning algorithm trained on high quality EEG recordings that were assessed and collected by the EMOTIV Research team. The Signal Quality algorithm assess data over 2 seconds and is scored 0 - very bad (black), 1 - bad (red), 3 (light green) and 4 -good (dark green)

• Signal Magnitude Quality (SMQ): A measure of the signal amplitude. Sometimes, the above metrics i.e. CQ, SQ are good but the signal amplitude is very small and therefore small power fluctuations in the FFT would be undetectable. Often, this is due to poor sensor hydration or poor scalp contact. SMQ gives scores for the average signal magnitude within a 2 second epoch. The scores can be 0 - very low (black), 1 - low (red), 4 - ok (green).

Each of these metrics are important in determining the quality of the signal, therefore the sensor colour will not be dark green unless all of these metrics have a “good” score of 4. The “EQ Map” UI in your EMOTIV software displays the minimum score of any of these metrics. The resulting EQ Score for each channel can be 0,1,2,3,4 corresponding to the colours black, red, orange, light green and dark screen, respectively.

How is Overall EQ Calculated?

Overall EQ is calculated and displayed as a number out of 100 so you can see your EEG Quality for all channels at a glance. Overall EQ is calculated as the sum of the worst 3 channels divided by the sum of the maximum score of these 3 channels, as a percentage. The resulting mathematical formula is (min1 + min2 + min3 / 12) * 100.

1. Before you start a recording, check your headset’s battery level and contact quality.

2. To start your recording, press the record button at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

3. A pop-up box will appear on the screen. Enter a name for your recording (required) and a SubjectID (required). Previously used Subject Id's will show up as a suggestion in the Subject ID field while you type.

4. Click on the Start Recording button and recording will begin.

5. To stop a recording, click on the stop button at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

Please note: EmotivPRO will not record data while your computer is in sleep mode. Disable your computer’s sleep mode before you start a data recording.

You can add event markers to specific events or areas of interest while recording your EEG data. Adding event markers means you can easily find events during playback or analysis.

EmotivPRO allows you to insert markers into the data stream manually via your computer’s keyboard, or via to a serial port (or virtual serial port), USB port or Extender to allow other applications to present stimuli and mark the events automatically. Any marker entered will display in the data stream and on the recording timeline during playback and will be indicated alongside other data streams in the application’s exported CSV files.

In addition to EDF Files, EmotivPRO also supports EEG and motion data export in EDF+ (European Data Format)/ BDF+ (Biosemi Data Format) files. These formats are widely used and compatible with various EEG analysis programs.

EDF+ and BDF+ Files: Both EDF+ and BDF+ files follow a similar structure, consisting of header information followed by data samples. Each row in the data file corresponds to a time slice of data, with successive rows representing successive time slices. Columns in the data file correspond to sensor locations or other information tags.

Storage of EEG and Motion Data: One advantage of EDF+ and BDF+ formats over EDF is their flexibility in data organization, these formats allow for both types of data to be stored within the same file. By labeling channels appropriately, EEG, motion, and other types of data can coexist within a single EDF+ or BDF+ file, facilitating efficient storage and analysis of multiple data streams simultaneously.

For list of Columns please refer to the EDF format page

To delete an EEG recording:

1. Go to the Recording view in EmotivPRO.

2. Find the EEG data recording you want to delete from the list.

3. Hover your mouse over the EEG data recording you want to delete.

4. To the right-hand side of your selected recording you will see a trash can. Click on the trash can.

5. A window will open asking you to confirm that you want to delete the recording. Click on Delete.

6. The recording is now deleted.

Please note: Deleting an EEG data recording will only remove it locally and from your Recordings list. Deleted recordings are still available to view on other computers that share the same EmotivPRO license.

This functionality will help you to export channel list configurations, default ports and server names for specific data stream and EMOTIV headset combinations.

N.B.: You do not need to connect to a headset in order to export D-Lab settings, unless you’re exporting settings for an EPOC Flex. This is because the data stream outputs depend on the applied sensor mapping. If you're exporting settings for an EPOC Flex, please connect your headset (with a preconfigured sensor mapping) to your computer before starting this process.

1. Open EmotivPRO and go to Settings.

2. Click on “D-Lab Client”.

3. Click on “Export D-Lab Settings”.

4. Select the data streams that you want to stream. N.B.: The “Performance Metrics” data stream will be disabled if your EPOC Flex has a sensor mapping which is not an EPOC X simulation.

5. Select the headset that you want to use for these particular settings. N.B.: The EPOC Flex option will be available if you started this process with your EPOC Flex connected to your computer.

6. Select your destination folder, and then click “Export”. N.B.: The data stream and headset selection will be saved locally when you click “Export”, and the selection will be loaded for the next use.

The configuration file will contain the following information:

• The filename is composed of “Headset type”-”Data stream type”.xml. For example: EPOCPLUS-CQ.xml, INSIGHT-EEG.xml, MN8-EQ.xml, etc

• The name of the server is similar to the filename (excluding the file extension)

• The default port for each data stream depends on data stream type (these can be changed after loading the configuration file to the D-Lab software):

  • 9000 for EEG;

  • 9001 for Motion;

  • 9002 for Contact Quality (CQ);

  • 9003 for EEG Quality (EQ);

  • 9004 for Performance Metrics (PM)

• The default separator is “Tab”, and NewLine is “Enter” (these are also fixed configurations for a data stream from D-Lab client on EmotivPRO)

To open an EDF file locally that is not in your Recordings list in EmotivPRO:

1. Go to the Recording view in EmotivPRO.

2. Go to Options burger at the top-right corner of the screen and click on Open Recording.

3. Your computer’s file explorer will open. Navigate to the EDF file you want to open.

4. Click on the EDF file. It will now open in EmotivPRO.

Please note:

• Selecting an EEG EDF file will also open the motion data EDF file of the same name, as long as it’s in the same folder.

• EDFs files that you open locally are not saved to the Recordings list in EmotivPRO or synced to other shared devices.

• EmotivPRO currently only supports Raw EEG for EPOC Flex.

Before establishing a TCP connection between EmotivPRO and D-Lab, you need to create a “Network Data Stream” on D-Lab software, and set up the configuration for the data channel list and IP address and port of the TCP server.

1. Open D-Lab software.

2. Click on “Plan”.

3. Click on “Recording Devices”.

4. Click on the blue plus symbol next to Network Data Stream to update the configuration.

5. Load a D-Lab settings file which was exported from EmotivPRO. N.B.: You might need to change the port number here to make sure that there is a unique port number for the data stream. The port number range is from 1-65535.

6. Click “OK” to create a TCP server.

7. Select the desired data streams.

8. Open EmotivPRO and go to Settings.

9. Click on “D-Lab Client”.

10. Click “Start”. You will now see the “Connected” status, which means you have a successful connection. N.B.: After clicking "Start", the IP address and port of the selected data stream will be saved locally, and the selection will be loaded for the next use.

To con‌vert EDF files to CSV files:

1. Go to the Recording view in EmotivPRO.

2. Go to Options burger at the top-right corner of the screen and click on Convert to .csv.

3. Your computer’s file explorer will open. Navigate to the EDF file you want to convert.

4. Wait for the EDF file to be converted. Once the file is converted, a verification message will appear on the screen.

5. The output CSV file will be in the same location as the source EDF file.

Users can be allocated any software license currently offered by EMOTIV. These are:

• PRO

• BCI-OSC

• BrainViz

Enhancements and features

• Insight 2.0 support

  • BTLE connection only - no longer supporting dongle connection

  • Firmware update via DFU OTA protocol

  • Virtual Brainware device created

  • Future support for Extender

• Improve how we handle lost data

  • New status represents corrupted recordings

  • Enhanced tracing data log

• Enhance installer framework

  • Mac users get a prompt to update the maintenance tool before they can update any of our other applications

Enhancements and features

• Adding band power as an additional data stream output for LSL feature

Improvements and bug fixes

• Improved data saving techniques which allows better recovery of corrupted files

• Fixed issue of not being able to read database after installing in some specific local environments

• Clarify some error messages

• Minor bug fixes

Enhancements and features

• Integration with Ergoneers D-Lab software. You will need an active D-Labs license, as well as an EmotivPRO "Team" license in order to access this functionality. Learn how to use the EmotivPRO D-Lab Client.

• Improved Bluetooth permissions visibility for MacOS users.

Bug fixes

• Minor bug fixes and UX improvements.

Bug fixes

• Improve BTLE connection on Windows

N.B.: For Windows users, it is recommended that you connect your headsets in the "unpaired" state.

Keystroke markers are an easy way to manually add event data into your data stream if high temporal precision of these markers is not a priority.

Keystroke marker settings are saved to your local device.

Adding a new keystroke marker

To add a new keystroke marker:

1. Click on Settings which can be found at the top right-hand side of EmotivPRO.

2. Click on Keystroke marking from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen

3. Click on Add new keystroke marker

4. Input values for:

   1. Key - the keystroke on your PC to activate the marker.

   2. Description - a summary or name for this marker.

   3. Value - a unique numeric value (integer between 0 and 255) that will represent this marker in the recording timeline and exported data file.

5. Click on Add to save your new keystroke marker.

Editing a keystroke marker

To edit a keystroke marker:

1. Hover your mouse over the keystroke marker you want to edit.

2. Click on the edit icon (pencil icon).

3. The Edit Keystroke Marker window will open. You can then edit the Keystroke, Label, and Value of your chosen keystroke marker.

4. Click on the Save button to save your changes.

Deleting a keystroke marker

To delete a keystroke marker:

1. Hover your mouse over the keystroke marker you want to delete.

2. Click on the trash can icon to delete the keystroke marker.

Keystroke marker configuration

Keystroke marker configuration allows you to add your own keystroke marker settings to EmotivPRO and save them for future experiments.

Keystroke marker configurations are automatically saved to EMOTIV Cloud—so you can use them on any device with EmotivPRO.

Creating a new keystroke marker configuration

To create a new keystroke marker configuration:

1. Click on Settings which can be found at the top right-hand side of EmotivPRO.

2. Click on Keystroke marking from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

3. Click on the hamburger icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

4. Click on New Configuration at the top of the drop-down list.

5. Enter a name for your new keystroke marker configuration and click on Create.

6. Your new configuration will appear in the keystroke marker configuration drop-down list.

Selecting a keystroke marker configuration

To select a keystroke marker configuration:

1. Click on the keystroke marker configuration drop-down list

2. Then click on the keystroke marker configuration you need.

Renaming a keystroke marker configuration

To rename a keystroke marker configuration:

1. Go to the keystroke marker configuration drop-down list and click on the keystroke marker configuration you want to rename.

2. Click on the burger icon to the right-hand side of the list and click on Rename.

3. Enter a name for your new keystroke marker configuration and click on Rename.

4. The new name will appear in the drop-down list.

Deleting a keystroke marker configuration

1. Go to the keystroke marker configuration drop-down list and click on the keystroke marker configuration you want to delete.

2. Click on the burger icon to the right-hand side of the list and click on Delete.

3. A pop-up box will appear on screen asking you if you want to delete the keystroke marker configuration. Click on Yes, delete!

4. The keystroke marker configuration is now deleted.

How to open the keystroke marker configuration legend

The keystroke marker configuration legend can remind you of the keystrokes you need during an EEG data recording session. The legend opens in a separate window and can be placed anywhere on the screen.

To open the keystroke marker configuration legend:

1. Go to the keystroke marker configuration drop-down list and click on the keystroke marker configuration you want to see.

2. Click on the burger icon to the right-hand side of the list and click on Show Legend.

3. Once open, you can place the legend anywhere on the screen.

How to add markers to your EEG data stream while recording

There are two ways you can add event markers to an EEG data stream recording:

Typing the number associated with the event To add markers to your EEG data stream while recording, type the number associated with the marker on your keyboard at the time of the event. When you type the number, a vertical pink line will appear in the data stream.

Adding a marker with a mouse click To add a marker to an EEG data stream recording with a mouse click, you need to:

1. Open the keystroke marker configuration legend (to do this, see How to open the keystroke marker configuration legend).

2. Place the legend in a suitable place on the screen.

3. Each time you need to mark an event in an EEG data stream, click on the appropriate keystroke marker in the legend. You’ll then see a pink vertical line appear in the data stream to mark the event.

You can add markers to Raw EEG, Performance Metrics, and Motion views, so you can easily see the event when you review the recorded EEG data.

MacOS

To connect your EEG headset to EmotivPRO via Bluetooth (BLE 4.0) on Mac OS:

1. Go to Bluetooth settings and turn Bluetooth on.

2. Open EMOTIV Launcher, click on the Bluetooth icon and follow the steps.

3. Turn your headset on.

4. Open EmotivPRO.

5. Click on the Connect Headset button at the top of the screen.

6. Choose your headset and click on Connect.

7. Follow the fitting instructions for your headset.

8. Once you’ve fitted your headset, click on Close.

9. Your headset is now connected to EmotivPRO.

Windows

There are two states for connecting your EMOTIV headset; "unpaired" or "paired". If you are having trouble connecting in the "unpaired" state, then you should try pairing the device to your computer.

Unpaired mode

1. Go to Settings and turn Bluetooth On.

2. Turn your headset on.

3. Open EmotivPRO.

4. Click on the Connect Headset button at the top of the screen.

5. Choose your headset and click on Connect.

6. Follow the fitting instructions for your headset.

7. Once you've fitted your headset, click on Close.

8. Your headset is now connected to EmotivPRO.

Paired mode

If you're having trouble connecting your headset, you should try pairing it to your computer:

1. Go to Settings and then Bluetooth and other devices.

2. Turn your headset on.

3. Turn Bluetooth On and click Add Bluetooth or other device.

4. Your headset should now appear on the list of available devices.

When connecting your EEG headset to EmotivPRO, the Device Fitting screen will show you how to fit your headset (excluding EPOC Flex).

If you’re connecting an EPOC Flex headset to EmotivPRO, please refer to the Assembly and Fitting guide which can be accessed via the link on the Device Fitting screen.

When you log in to EmotivPRO, the home screen displays a list of all your previous recordings (if you have any).

You can access the different views in EmotivPRO using the menu on the left-side of the screen. The menu is always visible on high resolutions screens. If you’re using a low resolution screen, you can access the menu by clicking on the menu icon at the top-left corner of EmotivPRO.

‌The menu includes the following features:

• Raw EEG: view a real time or recorded data stream from your headset’s sensors (14 for EPOC, EPOC+ and EPOC X; 5 for Insight and up to 32 for EPOC Flex, depending on your configuration).

• FFT/Band Power: perform a frequency analysis on single channel EEG data in real time or on recorded data.

• Performance Metrics: view real time or recorded performance metrics for six cognitive states: Stress, Engagement, Interest, Excitement, Focus and Relaxation.

• Motion Sensors: view a real time or recorded data stream from your headset’s digital motion sensors, with 7-channel quaternions and accelerometer data.*

• Data packets: view a real time or recorded data stream of packet loss and captured from your headset to your PC

*Older firmware versions of EPOC+ (Firmware version< 633) motion data will be presented as 9-channels.

You can configure your EPOC+ and EPOC X's EEG sample rate, EEG resolution, motion data sample rate, and motion data resolution through EmotivPRO. .

There are no configuration settings for Emotiv’s EPOC, EPOC Flex, and Insight headsets.

To configure your EPOC+ or EPOC X:

1. Connect your EPOC+ or EPOC X headset to your computer using the USB cable that came with it.

2. Open the EPOC+ or EPOC X configuration settings by clicking on the headset name at the top of the EmotivPRO home screen.

3. Select your configuration. Your headset will update as you make your selections.

4. Unplug your EPOC+ or EPOC X device from your computer

Please note:

• If your EPOC+ or EPOC X headset is connected to your computer via Bluetooth, then EEG can only run at 128 Hz and motion data can only run at 64 Hz.

• If you view the configuration menu during real time streaming, your headset settings will be shown even when your headset is not plugged in to your computer.

Raw EEG can be found in the menu on the left-hand side of the EmotivPRO screen.

Raw EEG displays the voltage fluctuations detected from each sensor on your headset. ‌ Raw EEG graphs are displayed as uV per sample.

The channels shown include:

• EPOC, EPOC+ and EPOC X - 14 channels are shown.

• Insight - 5 channels are shown.

• EPOC Flex - up to 32 channels can be shown, depending on the configuration of the headset.

The resolutions shown include:

The resolution of raw EEG for Insight, EPOC and EPOC Flex headsets is 128 Hz and 14-bits. The resolution for EPOC+ and EPOC X is 16-bits and can be either 128 or 256 Hz depending on the headset’s configuration. EPOC+ and EPOC X is 128 Hz when connected via Bluetooth.

How to turn channels on and off

So you can focus on the data you are interested in, you can turn individual channels on and off in the Raw EEG view.

To do this:

1. ‌Click on the eye icon at the top-right hand corner of the screen.

2. The show/hide channel pop-up box will appear.

3. Select the channel(s) that you do not want to see.

4. To close the pop-up box, click anywhere outside of the box.

How to toggle all channels on and off

‌You can toggle all EEG channels on and off in the Raw EEG view.

To do this:

1. ‌Click on the eye icon at the top-right-hand corner of the screen.

2. The show/hide channel pop-up box will appear.

3. Click on the Toggle All button in the pop-up.

4. To close the pop-up box, click anywhere outside of the box.

5. To view a single-channel, deselect all channels but the channel you want to see.

How to customize EEG graph scaling

Using the controls on the left-hand side of the Raw EEG view‌, you can configure the vertical scaling of your EEG graphs. You can do this for multiple channels and single channels. Your configurations will be saved locally for the next time you use EmotivPRO.

• Channel Spacing - Adjusts the height of the display area of a channel in the multi-channel display mode. This changes the vertical resolution of the display when more than one channel is selected.

• Amplitude min - Single channel display only. Defines the lower limit of the value displayed in single channel display mode.

• Amplitude max - Single channel display only. Defines the upper limit of the value displayed in single channel display mode.

• Autoscale - Single channel display only. Automatically aligns the upper and lower limit in line with the current channel values (lower limit is +/- 100 uV).

• High-pass filter - Removes the DC offset by applying a 0.16Hz high-pass filter and is activated by default. This filter can only be removed for single-channel display.

Data Packets can be found in the menu on the left-hand side of the EmotivPRO screen.

Data Packets shows you the number of data packets that are successfully transferred from your headset’s sensors to your computer and how many are dropped.

Gray sawtooth line(s) show a repeating one-second cycle of the data collected from your headset, at either 128 Hz or 256 Hz. The samples are drawn over time, depending on your headset’s frequency rate. Evenly spaced sawtooth lines represent good data collection. Unevenly spaced sawtooth lines represent significant packet loss.

Pink vertical lines mark the times when data packets are dropped. The numbers under the pink lines indicate the number of data packets lost.

Data packet loss

If you are experiencing a high degree of packet loss:

• Try using a USB extender to connect your headset’s dongle to your computer. Doing this can reduce interference from your computer’s power supply. Keep the dongle at your line of sight and keep it away from other electronics (such as TVs, phones, routers), if possible.

• If you’re connecting your headset to your computer via Bluetooth, try reducing the number of other Bluetooth devices connected to your computer.

• If you’re using EPOC+ or EPOC X, you can try reducing the frequency rate of your headset.

• If you’re using EPOC+ or EPOC X and you're losing data, try turning motion data off.

You can find the EEG quality indicator at the top of the EmotivPRO home screen, next to your headset’s name. The EEG quality indicator shows you, in real time, the overall EEG quality averaged across all the sensors on your headset. Red indicates poor EEG quality, orange is average EEG quality, and green indicates good EEG quality.

EmotivPRO can receive automatic markers via serial ports (TTL and virtual), so that you can perform event-related experiments with high temporal precision.

To configure serial port markers using a real or virtual COM port:

1. Click on Settings which can be found at the top right-hand side of EmotivPRO.

2. Select Serial port marking from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

3. Select the configurations you need from each menu: COM port (real or virtual), bits per second (BAU), data bits, parity, stop bits, and flow control that are compatible with your sending device

4. Click on Start to save the configurations.

5. Click on the back arrow at the top left-hand corner of the screen to go back to the Recording screen.

You will see a vertical pink line in the data stream in Raw EEG, Performance Metrics and Motion Sensors views when a marker has been added successfully and will be able to view the markers in the recording timeline and exported data file.

Once you stop an EEG data recording, you can add a note to it.

To do this:

1. Stop your recording in EmotivPRO. To do this, click on the stop button at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

2. Once the recording stops, a pop-up box will appear on screen.

3. Type a note about the recording into the dialog box. You can type up to 1000 characters into the dialog box.

4. Click on Save to save your note to the recording.

5. If you don’t want to add a note to your recording, click on Skip.

How to view frequency information

Frequency Analysis can be found in the menu on the left-hand side of the EmotivPRO screen.

The Frequency Analysis view allows you to see frequency information of a single EEG channel.

Selecting an EEG channel

To select an EEG channel:

1. Click on the eye icon, next to Channel, at the top-right-hand corner of the screen.

2. A pop-up box will open showing the channels you can select

3. Click on the channels you want to see.

4. To close the pop-up box, click anywhere outside of the box.

Selecting a window

To select a window:

1. Click on the drop-down menu next to Window at the top right-hand corner of the screen.

2. Select either:

   • Hanning,

   • Hamming,

   • Hann,

   • Blackman, or

   • Rectangle.

Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) graph

The graph at the top of the Frequency Information view displays an FFT analysis of the selected EEG channel as dB over frequency (Hz). You can adjust the parameters using the controls on the left-hand-side of the screen.

‌The parameters include:

• amax, amin - Adjust the maximum and minimum amplitude (dB) for the y-axis

• fmax, fmin - Adjust the maximum and minimum frequency (Hz) for the x-axis

• length - Adjust the transform length for the FFT analysis

• step - Adjust the step size for the FFT analysis

Band power graph

The bar graph at the bottom of the Frequency Information view displays the power of theta (4-8Hz), alpha (8-12Hz), low beta (12-16Hz), high beta (16-25Hz) and gamma (25-45Hz) frequencies for the channel selected.

You can adjust the parameters using the controls at the bottom left-hand-side of the screen.

The parameters include:

• ‌pmax, pmin - Adjust the maximum and minimum amplitude for the y-axis

• autoscale - Automatically scale the data to fit the max value on the y-axis and update the y-axis appropriately

‌You can choose to export the time series values of these five frequency bands for each sensor on your headset when you export data. You can view the format of these files here.

To export an EEG data recording so you can analyse it in another software program:

1. Go to the Recording view in the EmotivPRO desktop application.

2. Find the EEG data recording you want to export from the list.

3. Hover your mouse over the EEG data recording you want to export.

4. To the right-hand side of your selected recording you will see a export icon. Click on the icon.

5. A window will open on the screen with different data export options. Select or unselect additional data streams you want to export (EEG data is always exported), choose a folder to export the EEG data recording to, and choose whether you want your data exported as a CSV or EDF file.

6. The EEG data will be exported to the chosen folder.

7. The recording first need to synced to the desktop before it can first be exported. Make sure the cloud icon towards the left of experiment name is in Green. Click for it to sync incase it is not synced already

Exporting EEG data recordings containing keystroke markers

If the EEG data recording you’re exporting contains keystroke markers, a JSON file is also exported. The JSON file contains the descriptions for the keystroke markers, their corresponding values in the EDF and CSV files.

For more information about formatting EDF and CSV files, visit the Exported Data Files section of this user guide.

Please note: EmotivPRO currently only supports Raw EEG and Frequency Analysis for EPOC Flex.

EmotivPRO gives you the option to take a baseline recording at the start of each recording session. A baseline recording is a short recording of the subject with their eyes open and with their eyes closed. This standardized recording provides a way to make comparisons across recordings from different people or across the same people on different days. Additionally, these recordings are stored by EMOTIV and may one day be used to provide insights into brain aging or other basic science.‌

To enable baseline recording, select Include baseline in the Start Recording window. Baseline recording is automatically set to 30 seconds in duration.

Baseline protocol

Once you click on Start Recording, the baseline protocol will start. The baseline protocol involves six different states:

1. 3 seconds preparation time, with countdown.

2. 15 seconds eyes open recording, with countdown.

3. 2 seconds completion screen.

4. 3 seconds preparation time, with countdown.

5. 15 seconds eyes closed recording, with countdown.

6. 2 seconds completion screen.

At the beginning and end of the eyes open and eyes closed phases, you will hear an audio cue.

Once baseline recording is complete, your EEG data recording starts immediately.

Header

The CSV file has a header made of 2 lines. The first line contains information about the record and its data streams. The second line is a classic CSV header with the name of the columns.

First line

The first line of the CSV file is a comma separated list of key and value pairs. The key is separated from the value by a colon. It looks like key1:value1, key2:value2, key3:value3

Here is the meaning of each key and value pair:

Example:

title:foo, start timestamp:1623658701.491566, stop timestamp:1623658723.788441, headset type:INSIGHT, headset serial:7AEC4253, headset firmware:931, channels:28, sampling rate:128, samples:2855 , version:2.1,

Second line

The comma separated list of the column names of this CSV file.

Example:

Timestamp,EEG.Counter,EEG.Interpolated,EEG.AF3,EEG.T7,EEG.Pz,EEG.T8,EEG.AF4,EEG.RawCq,EEG.Battery,EEG.BatteryPercent,MarkerIndex,MarkerType,MarkerValueInt,EEG.MarkerHardware,CQ.AF3,CQ.T7,CQ.Pz,CQ.T8,CQ.AF4,CQ.Overall,EQ.SampleRateQuality,EQ.OVERALL,EQ.AF3,EQ.T7,EQ.Pz,EQ.T8,EQ.AF4

Columns

The CSV file contains many columns. For clarity, we divide them into categories in this documentation. The exact content of your CSV file depends on the options you selected when you exported the record.

EEG and markers

Motion

Contact quality

EEG quality

Performance metrics

The name of the columns has the format PM.<name>.<value> The <name> is the name of a performance metric. There are 6 possible values: Engagement, Excitement, Stress, Relaxation, Interest, Focus. The <value> can be IsActive, Scaled, Raw, Min, Max.

Examples: PM.Engagement.Min, PM.Stress.IsActive, PM.Relaxation.Scaled

To scale the Raw value post hoc for a given recording, you can use the Min and Max values at the end of the recording (where they are most stable) and the following equation:

AVERAGE = (MAX + MIN)/2.0;
RANGE = MAX - MIN;
scaled = 1.0 / (1 + exp( -5.0 * (raw - AVERAGE) / RANGE));

There is one additional column, named "PM.LongTermExcitement". Long Term Excitement is a metric derived from the Excitement metric. It is a better measurement of overall mood, rather than acute changes in mental arousal.

Mental commands

The possible values for MC.Action are:

Facial expressions

Frequency band

The file contains 5 columns for each EEG sensor of the headset. The name of the columns has the format POW.<sensor>.<band>

The bands are:

• Theta: 4-8 Hertz

• Alpha: 8-12 Hertz

• BetaL: 12-16 Hertz

• BetaH: 16-25 Hertz

• Gamma: 25-45 Hertz

For example, for the EEG sensor AF3, the file has 5 columns: POW.AF3.Theta, POW.AF3.Alpha, POW.AF3.BetaL, POW.AF3.BetaH, POW.AF3.Gamma.

All EEG data recordings made in EmotivPRO are saved locally, so your computer does not need to be connected to the internet to access them after a recording.

You also have the option to save your EEG data recordings to the EMOTIV Cloud automatically. When you choose to save your EEG data recordings to the EMOTIV Cloud, you can also access them on other computers which share your EmotivPRO license (if applicable).

EEG data recordings that are only saved locally (when you have opted out of cloud synchronization) cannot be accessed on other devices which share your EmotivPRO license.

Opting out of cloud synchronization

‌To opt out of your EEG data recordings being saved to EMOTIV Cloud:

1. Click on Settings which can be found at the top right-hand side of your EmotivPRO window.

2. Click on Recording from the navigation bar on the left-hand side of the screen.

1. Click on Opt out to stop your EEG data recordings from being saved to the EMOTIV Cloud.

EEG Quality Notification

To get a warning regarding low EEG Quality (EQ), select the checkbox. This will give a warning incase of low EQ at the start of a recording

If your recording contains keystroke markers, a JSON file will also be exported. This JSON file contains the descriptions of the keystroke markers used and their corresponding values in the EDF and CSV files.

A Baseline JSON file is created when baseline recording is enabled. The baseline markers and their corresponding values are:

• Eyes Opened Start : 1

• Eyes Opened End: 2

• Eyes Closed Start: 3

• Eyes Closed End: 4

In case of EPOC Flex, a separate JSON file is created that outputs the mapping for channel names and sensor positions for the selected session. For e.g.:

"CMS": "Afz",

"DRL": "FCz",

"LA": "C3",

"LB": "T7",

"LC": "FC1",

"LD": "FC5",

"LE": "FT9",

"LF": "F3",

"LG": "F7",

"LH": "Fp1",

"LJ": "Pz",

"LK": "Cz",

"LL": "O1",

"LM": "TP9",

"LN": "P3",

"LO": "P7",

"LP": "CP1",

"LQ": "CP5",

"RA": "C4",

"RB": "T8",

"RC": "FC2",

"RD": "FC6",

"RE": "FT10",

"RF": "F4",

"RG": "F8",

"RH": "Fp2",

"RJ": "Oz",

"RK": "Fz",

"RL": "O2",

"RM": "TP10",

"RN": "P4",

"RO": "P8",

"RP": "CP2",

"RQ": "CP6"

Use the LSL Outlet mode to configure EMOTIV data streams that can communicate with other devices or 3rd party software.‌

Configuration

Stream Outlet Information

1. Click on “Accept Invitation” from the email received. Check your spam folders.

2. Create your EmotivID, and click on “Confirm”.

3. Success! You should be able to access your EMOTIV software now.

The Organization Licensing feature is fully included in your paid EMOTIV subscription. Learn more about setting up an Organization.

Joining an Organization

User Roles: PRO license holders can designate the following roles within their organization:

• Owner : Assigned to user who has purchased the PRO license

• Admin: Users invited by owners to be part of the organization

• User : Users invited by owners or Admins to be part of the organization

Learn more about assigning license.

Invitation: Owner can invite users to join the organization:

• If you already have an EmotivID, then you can join using your existing account

• For new users, once you accept the invite you will be directed to create a new account

• Note: Only one EmotivID can be created per email address due to data integrity, privacy, and compliance requirements.

Device-Based Allocation: PRO seat allocation is counted per device, not per EmotivID.

• Example: If a user logs into the software on two devices (e.g., Tablet and Desktop), it will occupy two license seats.

• Adjusting seat allocation: To adjust the number of seats in your license, contact the EMOTIV Support team by filling out the Support form and requesting a license seat reset.

Organization Data Sharing: The Organization licensing feature also enables closer collaboration with authorized members of the PRO account by enabling sharing of data within the organization. Learn more about Organisation data access.

Organization License Limitations

• API and Developer Licenses Limitation: API and Developer licenses cannot be allocated within Organization Licensing.

• Recording access limitation:

  • Non-PRO Recordings: Recordings created by users with “Admin” or “User” role using any other EMOTIV software (i.e. BCI, Labs), will not be synced to their PRO Recording list.

  • Analyser: Recordings created with Organization license are not currently shared to analyzer.

We have provided a couple of code samples below for matlab to get you started. Firstly you need to export the data from EmotivPRO as CSV. The data output format in CSV is based around the EDF export format, it contains one row for each datapoint recorded. The first row of the file contains information on file name (A1), when the file was recorded(A2), sample rate (A3) and the columns headers (A5). If you expand A5 using text to columns in excel this will help identify which are important to you. For this example we are only interested in EEG data in columns 3:16, the column mapping is shown in the table below for reference:

To import the data into matlab we use the following command:

% Import raw CSV file
input_data = csvread('EPOC+datafile.csv',2,0); % This excludes the first two rows
eegcols = 3:16; % EEG Columns.
eeg.raw = input_data(:, eegcols);

The above matlab code imports the csv data and places only the EEG data into the eeg struct;

To further analyse your data, you can convert it from the time domain to the frequency domain using an FFT, but before performing an Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) it is necessary to remove the DC offset from the data.

The simplest removal method and least accurate is to subtract the average value from the entire data channel. This method can result in increased low frequency noise. Ideally you should also apply a high-pass filter which matches the characteristics of the electronics - that is, you should use a 0.16Hz first order high-pass filter to remove the background signal (this also removes any longer term drift, which is not achieved by the average subtraction method).

% median value removal
med = median(eeg.raw,2); % calculate median of each sample
eeg.raw = eeg.raw - repmat(med, 1, 14); % remove it

% limit slew rate
for j=2:size(eeg.raw,1) 
    del = eeg.raw(j,:) - eeg.raw(j-1,:);
    del = min(del, ones(1,14)*15);
    del = max(del, -ones(1,14)*15);
    eeg.raw(j,:) = eeg.raw(j-1,:) + del;
end

% High pass filter
a = 0.06; % HPF filter coeffs
b = 0.94;

preVal = zeros(1,14);
eeg.filt = zeros(size(eeg.raw));
for j=2:size(eeg.raw,1)
    preVal = a * eeg.raw(j,:) + b * preVal;
    eeg.firfilt(j,:) = eeg.raw(j,:) - preVal;
end

Another method is to use an IIR filter to track the background level and subtract it, as is shown below.

In Matlab pseudocode, assuming the first row has been removed from the array input_data():

IIR_TC = 256;                       % 2 second time constant- adjust as required
EEG_data = input_data( : ,3:16);    % import raw data
[rows, columns] = size(EEG_data);    % rows = number of data samples, columns = 14
AC_EEG_data = zeros(rows, columns); % create an empty array
back = EEG_data( 1, : );            % copy first row into background

% run IIR filter
for r = 2 : rows
back = (back * ( IIR_TC- 1 ) + EEG_data( r,:)) / IIR_TC;
eeg.iirfilt(r,:) = EEG_data( r,:) - back;
end

This demonstration code is not efficient in memory and assumes the entire file is available. It is quite straightforward to modify the code to replace the data in the source array rather than making a separate AC-coupled array, and also to run the IIR filter in open-ended form for processing in real time.

Note the vectorised form of the background recalculation at each iteration - each individual channel background average is retained in the relevant column of “back”. At each step the running average is re-estimated using the new input value. Note also that the first IIR _TC samples are biased towards the initial value but this settles down after about 2 * IIR_TC samples.

It is very important to remove the background signal before performing an FFT - you should also apply a tapered window function such as a HANNING transform before executing the FFT to ensure there are no wrapping artefacts where the FFT treats the data as an infinitely repeating sequence, and any mismatch between the first and last samples appears as a STEP FUNCTION in the analysis, injecting noise across the spectrum.

The following snippet explains how to run the FFT and then display the result in a graph:

% Variables
fftlength = 1024;                                % Set FFT length
stepsize = 32;                                   % Set step size
samples = fftlength:stepsize:length(eeg.raw);    % create an index array
c = 1:fftlength;
channel = 1; % AF3

%Specify hanning window
hanning = [1:fftlength]';
hanning_in = 2* pi() * (hanning - (fftlength+1)/2)/(fftlength+1);
%rescaled x-axis to match sample length?
hanning = (sin(hanning_in)./hanning_in).^2;    % sinc^2?
hanning = repmat(hanning, 1, size(eeg.raw,2)); % match to number of channels
f=[128/fftlength:128/fftlength:128];           % frequency index for the spectral array

for kk = 1:length(samples)

    k = samples(kk);
    % step through every quarter second starting at first possible sample
    spectrum = fft(eeg.iirfilt(k-fftlength+1:k,:) .* hanning)/fftlength; % apply window to HP filtered data
    spectrum = 2 * (sqrt(spectrum .* conj(spectrum))); % get magnitude

    %plotting the time domain and IIR FFT data
    subplot(211)
    % time domain
    plot(c,eeg.iirfilt(k-fftlength+1:k, channel));
    title('Amplitude of Channels');
    xlabel('Samples');
    ylabel('Amplitude');
    xlim([0 fftlength]);
    %IIR fft
    subplot(212)
    plot(f,spectrum(:, channel));
    %add graph details.
    title('Amplitude Spectrum of Channels');
    xlabel('Frequency (Hz)');
    ylabel('|Y(f)|');
    xlim([0 50]);
    % ylim([0 80]);
    pause(0.5);

end

The FFT is carried out on the last fftlength samples with the window moving forward every stepsize. In the plot shown we used in the above analysis we looked at channel AF3 which is column 1 if our data eeg.iirfilt. The value displayed is set in the variable channel. It would be easy to modify the above file to display the FIR filtered results

Organization Data Access:

• The Organization licensing feature enables closer collaboration with authorized members of the PRO account.

• Users' recordings will be shared once they accept “Data Sharing addendum” after joining the organization.

  • This will be presented to them when they login for the first time.

  • Only recordings created after accepting the addendum will be shared.

  • Once a user accepts the “data sharing addendum,” any PRO recordings created by them using their Organization account will automatically be shared with users with a higher-order role i.e. “Owner” and “Admin” in the organization.

Please see the table below to understand the data access capabilities across all user roles:

Additionally, users can only perform specific actions on shared recordings. Please see the table below for details:

1. Select the checkbox of the relevant user in the Organization Licensing portal.

2. Click on “Remove”.

3. Click on “Remove users” to confirm.

There are 3 possible roles that can be allocated within an Organization:

Enhancements and features

• Support X-trodes hardware devices in EmotivPRO

Bug fixes and improvements

• Minor bug fixes

Enhancements and features

• Windows 8 no longer supported.

• Created new EmotivPRO ecosystem model to incorporate all features together for a more sequential experience.

• UI changes for accessing Builder and Analyzer within EmotivPRO.

• Updated licensing to a more simplified model, with 5 licenses for different users (plus API licensing).

• Allow users to configure EPOC Flex headband position.

Bug fixes

• Minor bug fixes and UX improvements.

To create an EmotivID and password:

1. Open EMOTIV Launcher.

2. Click on Create Account.

3. Follow the instructions to create your EmotivID and password.

If you forget your password:

1. Go to Emotiv Launcher

2. Click on the Forgot password link under the login fields.

3. Follow the instructions to reset your password.

If you want to upgrade or downgrade the number of seats in your EmotivPRO license, please get in touch with EMOTIV Support.

Setting Up an Organization

You can set up an Organization in your EMOTIV environment to group users together, assign permissions, allocate licenses, and better manage your team's accounts and collaboration within the EMOTIV product suite. To set up Organization Licensing:

1. Subscription: If you have a paid PRO license with more than one seat, you can set up an organization. This feature is fully included in your subscription fees.

2. Contact Support: Fill out the EMOTIV Support form and state your intent to establish Organization Licensing for your team.

Read more about using Organization Licensing.

Installing EmotivPRO onto a Windows PC

1. Go to www.emotiv.com

2. Login to your Emotiv ID by clicking on Login at the top right-hand corner of the screen.

3. Go to My Account drop-down menu, at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and click on Downloads.

4. Find Emotiv-Installer-Win in the list of available downloads and click the Download button next to it.

5. Open the downloaded Emotiv-Installer-Win-x64.exe

6. Install EmotivPRO using the default path C:\Program Files (x86) or specify a different path. Click Continue.

7. Select the EmotivPRO from the applications list.

8. Accept the User License Agreement and click Continue

9. The installer will download EmotivPRO

10. Once installation is completed, click on Close to exit the installer.

Installing EmotivPRO onto a Mac

1. Go to www.emotiv.com

2. Login to your Emotiv ID by clicking on Login at the top right-hand corner of the screen.

3. Go to My Account drop-down menu, at the top right-hand corner of the screen, and click on Downloads.

4. Find Emotiv-Installer-Mac in the list of available downloads and click on the Download button next to it.

5. Open the downloaded Emotiv-Installer-Mac.dmg

6. Install EmotivPRO using the default path User/Applications/EmotivApps or specify a different path. Click Continue.

7. Select the EmotivPRO from the applications list.

8. Accept the User License Agreement and click Continue

9. The installer will download EmotivPRO.

10. Once installation is complete, click Close to exit the installer.

Please note: Your Mac may ask you to allow installation of apps from unidentified developers in order to run Emotiv Installer. To give Emotiv Installer permission to install on your Mac, right click on the installer and select Open from the menu. A pop up will appear on your screen asking for permission to open Emotiv Installer. Click on Open.

Once you have logged in to EmotivPRO for the first time, you can use all of its features while offline. However, when you are using EmotivPRO offline, your data will not sync to EMOTIV Cloud, nor will it sync to other devices on your account.

Soft limit

When you reach the end of your monthly subscription cycle, EmotivPRO checks your subscription status to ensure that you have paid the monthly subscription fee and reauthorizes your license.

If you do not pay the monthly subscription fee on the due date, you have seven days in which to pay. You can still access and use EmotivPRO during the seven-day grace period.

EmotivPRO will notify you that the monthly subscription fee is due and how many days remain in the seven-day grace period before you lose access.

Hard limit

If you do not connect to the internet before your grace period expires (7 days) you will no longer be able to use the app for taking new recordings or to stream data. In order to continue using the app you will need to connect to the internet while launching the app. A message will appear on timeline UI to notify about the start of Hard limit. Please plan accordingly.

Note: You can still playback, delete and export your previously taken recordings when you have reached your hard limit or when your license has expired.

EmotivPRO is compatible with the following EMOTIV headsets: EPOC, EPOC+, EPOC X, EPOC Flex, and Insight.

To connect an EEG headset to EmotivPRO:

1. Turn your headset on.

2. Check that your headset’s battery is fully charged before you try to connect it.

3. Click on the Connect Headset button at the top of the screen.

4. Choose your headset and click on Connect.

5. Follow the fitting instructions for your headset.

6. Once you’ve fitted your headset, click on Close.

7. Your headset is now connected to EmotivPRO.

You can find the battery level indicator at the top of the EmotivPRO home screen, next to your headset’s name. The battery level indicator shows you the percentage of battery life remaining in your EEG headset.

Performance Metrics can be found in the menu on the left-hand side of the EmotivPRO screen.

The Performance Metrics view displays the EMOTIV Performance Metrics algorithms.

Performance Metrics data is displayed in EmotivPRO on a scaled axis from 0 to 100. Exported data files for performance metrics contain both the scaled and unscaled versions of the data.

Please note: Performance Metrics for EPOC FLEX can only be supported when its sensors are mapped to the EPOC X sensor configuration.

Performance Metrics graphs include six metrics for EMOTIV’s Insight, EPOC+, EPOC X, and EPOC Flex (only when mapped to the EPOC X configuration) headsets.

The performance metrics include:‌

• Stress (St) measures how comfortable you are with a task. High stress can result from an inability to complete a difficult task, feeling overwhelmed, and fearing negative consequences for failing to satisfy the task requirements. Generally a low to moderate level of stress can improve productivity, whereas a higher level tends to be destructive and can have long term consequences for health and well-being.

• Engagement (En) is experienced as alertness and the conscious direction of attention towards task-relevant stimuli. It measures the level of immersion in the moment and is a mixture of attention and concentration and contrasts with boredom. Engagement is characterized by increased physiological arousal and beta waves along with attenuated alpha waves. The greater the attention, focus, and workload, the greater the output score reported by the detection.

• Interest (In) is the degree of attraction or aversion to the current stimuli, environment, or activity and is commonly referred to as Valence. Low interest scores indicate a strong aversion to the task, high interest indicates a strong affinity with the task while mid-range scores indicate you neither like nor dislike the activity.

• Excitement (Ex) is an awareness or feeling of physiological arousal with a positive value. It is characterized by activation in the sympathetic nervous system which results in a range of physiological responses including pupil dilation, eye widening, sweat gland stimulation, heart rate and muscle tension increases, blood diversion, and digestive inhibition. In general, the greater the increase in physiological arousal the greater the output score for the detection. Excitement detection is tuned to provide output scores that reflect short-term changes in excitement over time periods as short as several seconds.

• Attention (At) is a measure of fixed attention to one specific task. Attention measures the depth of attention as well as the frequency that attention switches between tasks. A high level of task switching is an indication of poor focus and distraction, which will influence this detection.

• Relaxation (Re) is a measure of an ability to switch off and and recover from intense concentration. Trained meditators can score extremely high relaxation scores.

‌Performance metrics are supplied at 0.1Hz for data export, playback, and preview in EmotivPRO.

How to turn performance metrics on and off

To focus on a particular performance metric, you can turn ‌individual performance metrics on and off.

To select which performance metrics you want to focus on:

1. Click on the eye icon at the top-right-hand corner of the screen.

2. A pop-up box will open showing the performance metrics you can select.

3. Click on the performance metrics you want to see.

4. To close the pop-up box, click anywhere outside of the box.

How to toggle all performance metrics

The toggle feature allows you to see all or none of the performance metrics.

To use the toggle feature, you need to:

1. Click on the eye icon at the top-right-hand corner of the screen.

2. A pop-up box will open showing the performance metrics you can select

3. Click on the Toggle button. This will either select or unselect all performance metrics.

4. To close the pop-up box, click anywhere outside of the box.

The beginning and end of the eyes open and eyes closed periods are recorded via markers in data stream as interval markers. An interval marker has a start time as well as a duration. The start times of all markers are shown as vertical pink lines in the EEG data recording shown in Raw EEG and Motion views. The exact location can be seen in the "markers" file that is exported with the data, if requested.

To configure markers sent by a USB device:

1. Click on Settings which can be found at the top right-hand side of EmotivPRO.

2. Click on USB marking from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

3. Go to the USB Device drop-down list and select the USB device you want to connect.

4. If you don’t see the USB device you’re looking for in the drop-down list, click on Refresh device list.

5. Once you’ve selected a USB device, click on Start.

Please note:

• USB mouses and USB keyboards are not supported.

• Marker values from a USB port are in the range of 0 to 127.

You will see a vertical pink line in the data stream in Raw EEG, Performance Metrics and Motion Sensors views when a marker has been added successfully and will be able to view the markers in the session timeline and exported data file.

To edit or add to a recording note:

1. Go to the Recording view in EmotivPRO.

2. Find the EEG data recording you want to edit from the list.

3. Hover your mouse over the EEG data recording you want to edit.

4. To the right-hand side of your selected recording you will see a pencil icon. Click on the pencil.

5. The Edit recording info window will open. Here you can edit or add more text to your recording note.

6. Once you’ve finished editing the note, click on Save.

The timer at the bottom of the EmotivPRO screen shows you the time elapsed during a recording. The time is shown in hours: minutes: seconds.

The recording history list shows you all of the EEG data recordings you have made while subscribing to your EmotivPRO license.

The list shows you the:

• name,

• Subject ID,

• date of recording,

• duration of recording, and

• recording notes

for each EEG data recording.

Sorting and searching your EEG data recordings

You can sort your EEG data recordings by:

• Name,

• Subject ID, or

• Duration.

To sort your EEG data recordings, click on the up/down arrows next to the category.

You can also search for an EEG data recording using the search box at the top right-hand corner of the screen.

EMOTIV Extender’s hardware triggering feature allows you to mark external events for post-processing. The input trigger pulses are injected into a headset’s data stream within +/-1 sample. There is a fixed 60ms delay between the trigger and the channel signal data which is due to the filter delay for the channels.

The trigger pulse is shown in EmotivPRO as a pink line and is also saved in the hardware column when exporting a file.

Every EMOTIV Extender comes with a 1m trigger cable. The cable has two tinned wires: red and black that can be connected to an external trigger source. The input polarity of the trigger is reversible and utilizes an opto-coupled photo transistor Vishay VOL628A (see datasheet). This component requires a minimum of 1mA forward current and maximum of 60mA. The input design has an internal limiting resistor of 1kOhm. The trigger input voltage needs to be between 2.5 and 15V, and can be driven directly from an Arduino or a parallel port. Please see the Extender User Manual for details.

Motion can be found in the menu on the left-hand side of the EmotivPRO screen.

The Motion tab displays the motion sensor data. Motion sensor data shows your headset’s position and orientation using a combination of absolute orientation (magnetometer), acceleration (accelerometer), and rotation vectors (quaternion) data in a ten-channel time series graph.

3D visualization

You can choose to view a 3D visualization of the motion sensor represented by a cube. The cube represents accurate rotation of the device along the X, Y and Z axes.

To calibrate the cube, turn your headset on and click the Calibrate button—this sets the cube to position 0.

The mirrored display is automatically selected so that the pink marker points towards you when your headset is worn correctly. If the mirrored option is not selected, the pink pointer will face away from you and the blue marker will point towards you.

Rotation, roll, and pitch of the cube

Rotation The rotation gauge represents the cube’s rotation along the Y axis (also known as pointing direction). Position 0 is set with the arrow in a vertical position on the gauge.

Roll The roll gauge represents the cube’s rotation along the Z axis. It can also be described as roll left or roll right. The pink and blue dots on the gauge stay in the fixed position. Position 0 is set in a horizontal position on the gauge.

Pitch The pitch gauge represents the cube’s rotation along the X axis. It can also be described as tilt up or tilt down. Position 0 is set in a horizontal position on the gauge.

Please note: For older EPOC+ headsets, (Firmware <0x633) motion sensors display data concerning your headset's position and orientation using a (gyroscope), acceleration (accelerometer) and absolute orientation (magnetometer) measurements.

Motion sensor graph

The motion tab window shows a graph of the connected headsets' various measured outputs. All headsets manufactured since 2018 feature the same 9-axis inertial measuring unit the invensense ICM-20948. We chose this part because it has sensor fusion processing where the various sensors are measured and rotational vectors called quaternions (Q0-Q3) are calculated so it is easier for understanding head movement. We have also included the raw outputs from the accelerometer and magnetometer. The only exception is MN8 which does not have a magnetometer.

Older headsets (EPOC+ / INSIGHT 2015-2018) are still supported but output raw 9-axis data for acceleration, gyroscope and magnetometer which researchers will need to post-process. Original EPOC devices are also supported but only feature gyroscope X and Y channels.

The outputs shown on the window are also exported in the same order. They are:

• Quaternion 0, 1, 2, 3 - rotational vector representation of head position.

• AccX, AccY, AccZ - acceleration in X, Y, Z directions.

• MagX, MagY and MagZ - magnetometer in X, Y and Z directions

• GyroX, GyroY and GyroZ - gyroscope in X, Y and Z directions (Only older headsets have this output.

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The resolution of motion sensor data for EPOC is 128 Hz and 12-bits, and for Insight headsets is 64 Hz and 14-bits. The resolution for EPOC+ and EPOC X is 16-bits and can be 32, or 64 (or OFF) depending on the headset’s configuration and whether or not it is connected via Bluetooth. When EPOC+ or EPOC X is connected to EmotivPRO via Bluetooth, the rate is limited to 64 Hz. For EPOC Flex, the resolution of motion sensor data is 8 bits and the sampling rate is 16 Hz. Epoc headsets include GyroX and GyroY sensors only. Y-axis is samples.

Motion data resolution

EPOC - 128 Hz and 12-bits. Insight - 64 Hz and 14-bits. EPOC+ and EPOC X - 16-bits (but it can be 32 or 64 (or OFF)) depending on the headset’s configuration and whether or not it is connected via Bluetooth. When EPOC+ or EPOC X is connected to EmotivPRO via Bluetooth, the rate is limited to 64 Hz. EPOC Flex - 16 Hz and 8-bits.

How to turn channels on and off

You can turn individual channels on and off in the motion sensor view to focus on the data you are most interested in. To do this:

1. Click on the eye icon at the top-right-hand corner of the screen.

2. A pop-up box will open showing the channels you can select.

3. Select the channels that you want to see

4. To close the pop-up box, click anywhere outside of the box.

How to toggle all channels on and off

The toggle feature allows you to see all or none of the channels.

To use the toggle feature, you need to:

1. Click on the eye icon at the top-right-hand corner of the screen.

2. A pop-up box will open showing the performance metrics you can select

3. Click on the Toggle button. This will either select or unselect all performance metrics.

4. To close the pop-up box, click anywhere outside of the box.

1. . N.B.: You will only need to start a network data stream if your connection is disrupted, but once it's been created you can start and stop recordings freely.

2. Open D-Lab software and click on “Measure”.

3. Click on the “Data Recording” tab.

4. Click “Record” when you are ready to record.

5. Click on “Stop” when you are finished recording.

After you stop a recording, EmotivPRO performs a post processing operation called timestamp correction. The purpose is to adjust the EEG timestamps that were calculated in real-time and make them more accurate. This operation is done automatically, you have nothing to do.

When you to a CSV file, you will have 2 columns:

• the column "OriginalTimestamp" stores the timestamps that were calculated in real-time

• the column "Timestamp" stores the improved timestamps that were calculated by the timestamp correction algorithm

This feature was added in EmotivPRO v3.1. The recordings created with EmotivPRO v3.0.1 or earlier won't have corrected timestamps, even if you export them with EmotivPRO v3.1.

How does it work?

The time difference between the time that the electrical potential is measured in the headset and the time that the EEG data is processed inside Cortex varies from 80 milliseconds to up to 140 milliseconds. The variation in arrival time depends on the quality of the wireless connection between the headset and the computer. This makes it difficult to accurately set the timestamp of each individual EEG sample in real time. To handle these variations in arrival times, Cortex makes the timestamp of the current EEG sample as close as possible to the current real time while at the same time ensuring that the difference between neighboring timestamps is as constant as possible. The rate that the EEG data is sampled in the headset is constant. Therefore we are able to correct the real-time timestamps by using this fact.

After the completion of the recording, Cortex fits the timestamps to a new set of timestamps where the time step between each EEG sample is equal. If the wireless connection between the headset and the computer is of poor quality, the correction of the timestamps can be unsuccessful. If the algorithm fails to correct the timestamps, that does not mean that the timestamps are not correctable, only that the automatic algorithm could not guarantee the accuracy of the correction. The user may wish to attempt to manually fit the timestamps to an equispaced set of timestamps if the correction fails and they require accurate timestamps for a particular recording.

If this correction is successful, the original real-time timestamps are saved in the “OriginalTimestamps” column and the new corrected timestamps are stored in the “Timestamp” column. The accuracy (jitter) of the timestamps before the correction is (depending on the wireless connection quality) between +- 4ms and +- 30ms. The accuracy (jitter) of the corrected timestamps is +- 0.5ms. The systematic error in the timestamps is approximately +- 5ms for both the corrected and uncorrected timestamps.

EEG and motion data are stored by EmotivPRO in a standard binary format, EDF, which is compatible with many EEG analysis programs. Following the initial information line, each successive row in the data file corresponds to one data sample, or 1/32, 1/64, 1/128 or 1/256 second time slice of data (depending on your headset’s frequency rate and if the data file is EEG or motion data). Successive rows correspond to successive time slices and each column of the data file corresponds to to an individual sensor location or other information tag.

Emotiv PRO exports your record in 2 separate EDF files:

• 1 file with the EEG data, the contact quality and the EEG quality

• 1 file with the motion data

These EDF files follow the .

Columns of the EEG file

The EEG file includes these columns:

Columns of the motion file

When you export a recording, you will also get an EDF file for the motion data (named "xxx.md.edf"), if that data was collected from your headset. This file is in the same format as the EEG file and with the same descriptive tags.

The timestamp columns

The EDF files includes 2 columns named "TIME_STAMP_s" and "TIME_STAMP_ms". You need to combine them in order to get a usable timestamp for each sample:

RELATIVE_TIME is the number of seconds elapsed since the beginning of the record. So it means that the first EEG sample of record has a relative timestamp of zero. The relative timestamp of the last EEG sample gives you the duration of the record.

Instead, you should read the field reserved of the EDF header. This field stores the start date and time of the record as a string, with a precision of 1 microsecond. The format is YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.mmmmmm+TIMEZONE Example: 2020-06-19T15:36:47.256794+07:00

LSL is a protocol that enables a streamlined and synchronized collection of time series measurements across multiple devices.

EmotivPRO’s LSL feature:

• Supports research experiments that require sub-millisecond timing precision.

• Allows efficient, two-way communication between EmotivPRO and other third-party software and devices.

• Enables users to synchronize data streams across multiple devices.

• Allows real-time processing of raw EEG data in third- party applications.

• Allows you to send distinct markers (such as event markers) to different devices and synchronize those markers across devices.

To configure LSL in EmotivPRO:

1. Connect an EMOTIV headset to EmotivPRO.

2. Click on Settings at the top right-hand side of EmotivPRO.

3. Click on Labs Streaming Layer from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

4. You can then configure:

   • EMOTIV data streams that communicate with third-party devices or third-party software in LSL outlet mode, and

   • markers from third-party software to communicate with EmotivPRO.

Further information about LSL, can be read here -

Use the LSL Inlet mode to inject markers from 3rd party software to EEG data stream via EmotivPRO.‌

EmotivPRO can only receive markers after a recording on EmotivPRO has been started.

LSL Inlet Configuration on EmotivPRO

LSL Outlet configuration on 3rd party software

Currently, We support Marker injection with 2 options:

EmotivPRO Builder (Builder) is an online neuroscience experiment building platform designed for use with Emotiv's EEG headsets.

‌It's a simple, user-friendly platform that allows you to create neuroscience experiments from scratch by building phases: calibration, instruction, and stimuli phases.

‌Each phase is built by including different elements — like video, audio, and text — which you can upload from your computer. You can also customize the elements in an experiment so the participant(s) can see them in different ways: including randomizations and looping.

‌When you've finished building an experiment, you can publish it to EmotivPRO Player (privately) for use in-house or remotely, or publicly to LABS Citizen Science.

As a participant plays an experiment, a live EEG recording is collected, fully time-marked, and saved securely and anonymously in EMOTIV Cloud.

To find out more about using EmotivPRO Builder, please visit the EmotivPRO Builder User Manual.

The D-Lab Client allows you to stream output from EmotivPRO to the D-Lab software. You can select an individual data stream for the same or different destination IP address. You can also export D-Lab settings for Network Data Stream on D-Lab software.

Main features:

• Enables you to send EmotivPRO data stream(s) to D-Lab software

• There are 5 supported data streams: EEG, Motion, Contact Quality, EEG Quality, and Performance Metrics

• Has the ability to send multiple data streams simultaneously

• Provides an interface for easy configuration

• Allows you to export configuration corresponding to stream type and headset type which can be imported into D-Lab easily

Prerequisites:

• An active D-Lab license in order to use the D-Lab software

• EmotivPRO with a Team license to enable the D-Lab Client feature

Supported Platforms:

• Windows

• MacOS (N.B.: While EmotivPRO does work on MacOS, D-Lab only works on Windows machines)

The measured EEG signal on the headset is converted from an unsigned 14 or 16-bit ADC output to a floating point value which is stored by EmotivPRO. To allow measurement of negative values the (floating) DC level of the signal occurs at approximately 4200 uV. Negative voltages are transmitted less than the average level, and positive voltages are transmitted as greater than the average.

In order to remove the DC offset, especially before performing any kind of analysis such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) it is necessary to apply some kind of DC offset removal. The simplest method is to subtract the average from the entire data channel, although this is the least accurate. Ideally you should apply a high-pass filter which matches the characteristics of the electronics - that is, you should use a 0.16Hz first order high-pass filter to remove the background signal (this also removes any longer term drift, which is not achieved by the average subtraction method). Another method is to use an IIR filter to track the background level and subtract it an example is shown below in Matlab pseudocode, assuming the first row has been removed from the array input_data():

IIR_TC = 256;

2 second time constant- adjust as required

EEG_data = input_data( : ,3:16 );

select out only the EEG data

[rows columns]= size(EEG_data);

rows= number of data samples, columns= 14

AC_EEG_data = zeros(rows, columns);

reserve space for the output data file

back= EEG_data( 1, : );

copy the first row of data into the background file

for r = 2 : rows

back= (back* ( IIR_TC- 1 ) + EEG_data( r,:)) I IIR_TC;

AC_EEG_data = EEG_data( r,:)- back;

end

This demonstration code is not efficient in memory and assumes the entire file is available. It is quite straightforward to modify the code to replace the data in the source array rather than making a separate AC-coupled array, and also to run the IIR filter in open-ended form for processing in real time.

Note the vectorised form of the background recalculation at each iteration - each individual channel background average is retained in the relevant column of “back”. At each step the running average is re-estimated using the new input value. Note also that the first IIR _TC samples are biased towards the initial value but this settles down after about 2 * IIR_TC samples.

It is very important to remove the background signal before performing an FFT - you should also apply a tapered window function such as a HANNING transform before executing the FFT to ensure there are no wrapping artefacts where the FFT treats the data as an infinitely repeating sequence, and any mismatch between the first and last samples appears as a STEP FUNCTION in the analysis, injecting noise across the spectrum.

To play an EEG data recording:

1. Open the Recordings view in EmotivPRO. You will see a list of your saved EEG data recordings.

2. Find the EEG data recording you want to play from the recordings list.

3. Click on the EEG data recording you want to play.

4. The EEG data recording will start playing automatically.

5. To move to a particular time point in the recording, move the scrubber (the pink circle) left or right along the timeline. The time point of the scrubber is shown next to the recording duration at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

6. While a recording is playing you can pause it at any time.

You can play a recording for all data views — Raw EEG, Performance Metrics, Motion Sensors, Data Packets and FFT/Band Power — at 1x speed.

Recording timeline

When a recording is playing, you will see the recording timeline along the bottom of the screen.

At the top of the screen you will see information about your recording—name of the recording, date it was recorded, time, and headset used (including contact quality scoring).

Timeline markers

If you added markers to a recording, icons for the markers are placed on the recording timeline.

The markers include:

• Pink lines - serial port markers

• Blue lines - keystroke markers

• Gray lines - USB markers

At the time of a marked event, you will also see vertical lines in the data stream. The vertical lines are shown in Raw EEG, Performance Metrics, and Motion Sensors streams.

Baseline recording playback

When playing an EEG data recording, the baseline recording in the data stream—15 seconds for eyes closed and 15 seconds for eyes open— is shown in the shaded area.

This is the procedure for inviting users to join your Organization. If someone already has an EmotivID, they cannot join your Organization with this account, and will need to create a new EmotivID. You can invite up to 10 new users at once.

1. Click on “Add users” from the Organization Licensing portal.

2. Click on “New User”.

3. Add the Email, PRO license selection, and any additional licenses (optional), and then click “Add Users”.

4. This user will appear as “Pending” until they have accepted the invitation which was sent to their designated email address.

5. A new user will be allocated a “User” role by default. If you need to make them an “Admin”, you can make this change once they have accepted the invitation.

EmotivPRO Analyzer (Analyzer) is a cloud-based batch processing tool for EEG data integrated with EmotivPRO.

‌Using Emotiv Cloud, Analyzer allows users of EmotivPRO to quickly and easily process a large amount of EEG data or process a number of EEG data recordings in a standardized way without doing any coding. The pipelines available include:‌

• Basic EEG processing;

• Basic EEG processing and band power transformation; or

• ERP experiment analysis.

To find out more about using EmotivPRO Analyzer, please visit the .

To close an opened recording and return to the recordings menu, click on the back arrow at the top left-hand side of the screen.

Enhancements and features

• Allow survey data to also be exported in .csv format for easier analysis

• Further enhancements to framework for BTLE connections

• Refine firmware update flow

• Improve marker correction

Bug fixes and improvements

• Minor bug fixes

Enhancements and features

• Release and support EPOC X firmware upgrade

• Enhance framework for BTLE connections

Improvements and bug fixes

• Ability to re-order channels on EmotivPRO live data graphs

• Minor bug fixes