Can the EMOTIV devices be used during physical activity?

While EEG systems are inherently sensitive to movement, EMOTIV devices are designed to perform well during moderate physical activity, offering flexibility outside traditional laboratory environments. EMOTIV products are designed to be more versatile than traditional laboratory EEG systems, making them suitable for use in dynamic, real-world environments. Key design elements include:

• Low Mass and Secure Fit: The EPOC+ headset is lightweight and sits snugly on the head, minimizing discomfort during physical activities. Its design allows for easy attachment, ensuring the device remains in place even during more vigorous movements.
• Independently Sprung Sensors:the sensors are located on independently-sprung arms, which provide a stable fit and prevent the headset from slipping, even during movement. This design helps maintain signal integrity and ensures the device remains comfortable during extended use.

However, there are limits to the type of physical activity that can be performed while using these devices, and understanding these boundaries ensures the best quality data collection.

Movement sensitivity and filtering

​​EEG systems, including those from EMOTIV, are prone to interference from movement. This can lead to noise in the data, primarily from muscle activity (EMG) or physical movements of the device itself. 

• Moderate Movements: Normal movements such as walking or typical head shaking are generally not problematic and can be easily filtered out during analysis.
• Vigorous Movements: More aggressive or jarring movements—such as running, jumping, or sudden head turns—can potentially cause the headset to shift or introduce more noise. In these situations, the data quality may degrade, and the headset might need to be repositioned to ensure accuracy.
• Data Recovery: Rapid movements may cause brief disruptions in signal integrity, but the EEG system typically recovers quickly. For researchers, omitting data epochs with excessive noise (e.g., from sudden movement) is a common solution. This approach may reduce the dataset by 10-20% but still yields usable data.

Handling Muscle Artifacts

Just like other EEG systems, EMOTIV devices can be affected by muscle activity, especially when the user is physically active. However, this can be mitigated using the following methods:

• Epoch Omission: Researchers often exclude noisy epochs from the dataset to improve overall data quality.
• Source Localization: Advanced analysis tools like EEGLab’s ICA (Independent Component Analysis) and Loreta can be used to remove muscle activity artifacts from the data and enhance the signal-to-noise ratio.

Real-World Use Case

For example, National Geographic explorer Dan Raven-Ellison used the EPOC+ headset while walking across Edinburgh to track EEG data during his journey. The headset recorded his brain activity while his movements were tracked using GPS. By syncing this data, researchers could analyze how various environmental factors affected his engagement, stress levels, focus, excitement, and relaxation. This kind of data has applications in urban planning, helping designers create cities that promote health, happiness, and well-being.

While EMOTIV devices are designed for flexibility and can be used in environments where traditional laboratory EEG systems might not be suitable, certain types of physical activity (especially vigorous movements) can affect the quality of the data. For optimal results, it’s best to minimize excessive movement, but the portability of EMOTIV products makes them ideal for dynamic research and real-world applications. Whether for environmental studies, brain-computer interfaces, or emotional research, our devices provide powerful tools for capturing brain activity even in challenging settings.