Dear all,
I would like to present article: Badcock, Nicholas A., et al. "Validation of the Emotiv EPOC® EEG gaming system for measuring research quality auditory ERPs." PeerJ 1 (2013): e38. (http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnins.2017.00109/full)
In recent years there has been an increase in the number of portable low-cost electroencephalographic (EEG) systems available to researchers. MUSE EEG system is one of such example. Improvements in the quality of low cost portable EEG systems such as the MUSE provide an excellent opportunity for researchers to improve their ability to conduct field and/or clinical research. In the article authors demonstrate availability to quantify the N200, P300, and reward positivist ERP components with a MUSE EEG system in two experimental paradigms that together were completed in under 10 min. Their method utilized a single computer and they did not have to rely on the use of event-markers.
1. What do you think about usage of low cost systems in your research?
2. Have you ever tried to use low cost devices during your studies? If yest, do you meet any limitations?
3. Do you know any examples of low cost devices used in academical researches?
Kind regards,
Marcin
1. What do you think about usage of low cost systems in your research?
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to EEG and other medical recording systems it is hard for me to say does low cost system work as well as normal version. I wish they worked the same way and medical tests will be performed easily without stress about cost of them. In my research I actually do not need to use any systems and spend money, so as least this problem does not bother me.
2. Have you ever tried to use low cost devices during your studies? If yes, do you meet any limitations?
Definitely not medical devices, but if we count some low cost computers, phone and other electronic devices than yes I have tried them. Of course I met multiple limitation, let’s be honest simple cheap laptop with 4 GB of RAM and slow SATA will not perform like 16 GB RAM and SSD drive computer. The same with phones and any other electronic devices.
3. Do you know any examples of low cost devices used in academical researches?
Probably electronics as I said earlier. Maybe some medical devices in neuro-informatics bioinformatics and medicine. And in other area as well: art, physics, chemistry or any other field of education you can use high cost or low cost devices. Very often it is too expensive to use normal version of devices so to cut expenses they use what they can afford.
Thx Carek for your replay.
DeleteM.
Marcin – thank you for your another very long and boring article ;-) The Interesting thing is what has happened that you have changed your interests about cyber defence and you shifted to medical issues? Nevertheless I read (with curiosity of course) this material and I have my own answers for your questions. Firstly I am a great supporter of using low cost systems in research. Cheap equipment could spread science around and even poor people who can’t afford high cost science equipment will be able to conduct their research. Low cost hardware and software on the entry research level are absolutely enough in my mind. About your second question my answer is – YES. I always use in my research low cost computers, monitors, software and other devices. It is obvious that a young researcher like me can’t buy high level equipment. Your final question is very difficult. Unfortunately I don’t know this kind of devices. Maybe in the future I will achieve next level in research and I will possess this kind of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThx for remembering me. I had to change a subject for a moment as I found an interesting project ot work on. All researcher sooner or later will run out of money. I pointed out that article to show everyone that even working with medicine we can found cheaper solution for our researches.
DeleteM.
I am rather sceptical when it comes to using low cost equipment for medical purpose. I am not quite sure if those machines and appliances are as reliable as their big budget equivalent.I guess they cost what they cost for a reason. When it comes to your second question, I used low cost computers, software, phones and other electronic devices. As a young researcher very often I am not able to spend as much money as I would like to for the equipment needed for my research and studies. As per question no.3 unfortunately nothing particular comes to my mind.
ReplyDeleteHi s8604. At the beginning I was also sceptical. That article convinced me. What about you? Did you found in interesting?
DeleteM.
1. What do you think about usage of low cost systems in your research?
ReplyDeleteI think that sometimes it is good idea to use low cost system in research. When research is in preliminary state using low cost systems may lower not only expenses but also time needed to start and get first results. It is easier to buy cheap equipment and make first steps in research when waiting for fundings and delivery of more expensive and sophisticated equipment.
2. Have you ever tried to use low cost devices during your studies? If yest, do you meet any limitations?
Yes I have tried to use low cost device and it was some a mobile phone. I had to use it because there was no reason to buy expensive one just for one project. The limitation was old version of system so I can't use some new functionality.
3. Do you know any examples of low cost devices used in academical researches?
I can't give any interesting example. I think of low cost computers used as servers.
Hello,
ReplyDeletethis article does not get into my interests area but I will try to answer on mentioned questions.
It is quite interesting idea but we have to remember that the low cost solutions especially in medical/health care area have to be verified on professional (certified) systems. We should not raise any assumptions without attached information about risk of error that can be caused by this kind of system. This can be good point, which opens gate for further research with grants and professional(certified and so on) systems.
I work with real world corporations during my research. They are not using low cost solutions in production environment. Nevertheless my research goes inline with their processes so I have not generated additional costs during my research.
I am glad that I have a possibility to spend time with professional academic researches and I have seen that they were working on assumptions based on mathematical algorithms and models so answer for the last question is: no, I don't.
Thanks for interesting article but this is not may field of studies. Currently I am using rather low cost equipment, but I am not being studying medical topics. If it comes for not commercial appliances for deep learning we do not need top shelf equipment such as tesla graphic cards or server solutions. Not using such of course means some limitations but still simple laptop could handle some problems.
ReplyDelete1. What do you think about usage of low cost systems in your research?
ReplyDeleteIn my research I don't need any special systems, only a computer and few data sources available on the internet, so I am not able to refer to my experience, but generally I think that using a low cost system is a good approach. Some scientific research does not require very accurate measurement, especially in it's initial stage. The availability of low cost equipment may encourage scientists to explore interesting area.
2. Have you ever tried to use low cost devices during your studies? If yest, do you meet any limitations?
Currently I work with a little too slow machine for my computation needs, but it enables me to work on my research area at all. I plan to use more powerfull server in my nearest future, but in the meantime I try to optimize my work.
3. Do you know any examples of low cost devices used in academical researches?
I personally didn't use any of them, but on one conference I attended last year, a group of students presented their research on human brain activity during coloring a coloring book. They used a NeuroSky headset to measure it and had interesting results.
Emilia. Many thanks for very good example. I have seen some articles about NeuroSky usage. It really looks promising.
DeleteM.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your article, interesting topic.
ReplyDeleteHere comes the question - if someone does not have money, then there is nothing to do? I believe that you can always do research but you have to be sincere to yourself. Most often, you can not compare such studies with research on equipment for millions of dollars.
Of course I was trying to work on a cheap device. We can not always use expensive equipment, but we always have to write about it in the article. For example, mention that the results may be more accurate for better bargaining.
We talked about the same subject and asked if it was worth using this equipment, someone said "monthly ticket to Lublin is cheaper". In summary, I think it is worth looking for other possibilities.
Thx for you replay Maciek. I have the same thought choosing that article. As you wrote "it is worth looking for other possibilities".
DeleteM.
As far as I'm concerned all types of low-cost EEG systems detect cranial muscles tension rather than ERP signals, even though they're advertised as "low cost medical equipment". Professor Wójcik, who led the bioengineering class this semester, had rather sceptical opinion about MUSE EEG specifically, and I trust him as I would trust any professional researcher.
ReplyDeleteExtending this to other low-cost systems of similar purposes, I would be sceptical as well. Which is sad, because I had an opportunity to work with Emotiv Insight EEG helmet during my studies and I really enjoyed it. I was working on a computer-brain interface, which aim was to enable paralysed people to write messages only with their eyes and brain commands. I used Toby Eye X eye-tracker and aforementioned EEG system. It worked, and I hadn't met any limitations, but then I realised that it, indeed, could work more as computer-cranial muscles interface :)
I don't think that any serious academical research (at least in a field of medicine) is conducted based on this kind of devices. They are still just some useless gadgets, unfortunately, but I hope that in a near future it will change.
Hi Ola. Unfortunately I cannot agree with you. All depend on what you are trying to achieve. Some time you do not need expensive devices to measure simple things.
DeleteM.
I did not conduct such research and I have no experience in this field. However, the article is showing a positive example. In addition, I think that not all research requires expensive equipment. Of course if we have it and we can do a thorough research we can see more. Sometimes it is possible to find examples that people with great creativity can do great things with very basic tools (this was also discussed by Professor Wójcik). Sometimes the exact research gives a lot of data that destroys the essence of things, and sometimes give details that build it, it depends on many factors ...
ReplyDeleteAd. 1
ReplyDeleteI think such possibilities should be used as often as it is possible, to maximize reliability of data received as a result of research process. There is nothing but real advantages of this idea, because apart from low cost you can achieve information difficult to be discovered by classic approach.
Ad. 2
Unfortunately I haven’t used it during my studies, but now I think the times are very dynamic and we have to get used to the idea of changing our way of conducting our research. Definitely I am going to create as much profits as I can from the possibilities of such solutions, as I’ve written above, there are only advantages of this. The only one limit is a technological aspect, I mean preparing the tools (both hardware and software, accordingly to the budget we have) respectively to the results awaited. But anyhow it is more sensible to sacrifice some time and money to gain more reliable data with shorter time, I suppose.
Ad. 3
If you are asking about devices, a mobile phone is such example, but there is rather a question about its function in researches. Not academic, but commercial interesting case is a software administrating wind farms and other energetic assets like this, installed on smartphones. You can have control very serious processes with very simple application from your home in the middle of the night. Fascinating.
Hello thanks for this article. I have to admit I did not have much to do with such equipment and it is hard for me to imagine when could I use it/or not.
ReplyDeleteIf it is possible to use an equipment which provides higher performance I just pick it because as you have mentioned there are limitations. Lower computing power means longer hours of computations. Deployment of 16GB RAM contrary to 4GB bring an performance in an efficiency. It is hard for me to divide devices into high and low cost because it depends on our needs and resources to perform the computations. It is affordable for a student to get 16GB RAM as a not so sophisticated user when to comes to talk about personal PCs. Sorry for not so sophisticated answers but I can't figure out anything smarter
1. What do you think about usage of low cost systems in your research?
ReplyDeleteIn my research it is possible to use low cost systems and such I will use for sure. I have possibility to do my research in virtual networks and this environment doesn’t need to use sophisticated systems.
2. Have you ever tried to use low cost devices during your studies? If yes, do you meet any limitations?
Yes, I did. Once I tried to use the Raspberry Pi 2 for some monitoring systems however it was too slow so I had to change it into faster but more expensive device.
3. Do you know any examples of low cost devices used in academical researches?
In my opinion it can be RPi3, mentioned above, Arduino or Intel Edison. Of course it depends on the area of your research.
1. What do you think about usage of low cost systems in your research?
ReplyDeleteMost of them are far from being accurate and can breake your research results. I would like to avoid doing my research on low cost systems. Why should I use them? Low cost is not an answer for me.
2. Have you ever tried to use low cost devices during your studies? If yest, do you meet any limitations?
No, I'm trying to avoid doing something like that.
3. Do you know any examples of low cost devices used in academical researches?
As I have stated before, I'm trying to avoid using these devices so I can't give a good example.