Authors:
Dariusz Sawicki
1
;
Agnieszka Wolska
2
;
Przemysław Rosłon
1
and
Szymon Ordysiński
2
Affiliations:
1
Warsaw University of Technology, Institute of Theory of Electrical Engineering and Measurements and Information Systems, Poland
;
2
Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB), Poland
Keyword(s):
EEG, Alertness Level, Emotiv EPOC.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
EMG Signal Processing and Applications
;
Health Engineering and Technology Applications
;
Neurocomputing
;
NeuroSensing and Diagnosis
;
Neurotechnology, Electronics and Informatics
Abstract:
Alertness level evaluation has obvious implications for safety–critical occupations such as operators in
control rooms or drivers. It has already been stated that alertness can be assessed objectively by EEG.
However, the high costs of standard medical equipment for EEG measurement, their complex and time-consuming
operation, and the need to use conductive gel on the scalp make this method impossible for
general use or at workstations. The aim of the study was to analyze the possibility of alertness level
assessment based on EEG measurements using the Emotiv EPOC headset, which is relatively cheap,
wireless, comfortable for wearing and does not need the use the of conductive gel, but allows the capture of
only 14 channels of EEG. The experiments were carried out in laboratory conditions using three different
light spectra for 40 minutes exposure on office workstation during the afternoon drop in alertness. 50
participants took part in each light scene (white, red, blue). The
EEG measurements were performed before
exposure and just after exposure to a particular light scene. A new measure of alertness, based on analysis of
EEG signals, has been introduced. The results showed that this new measure based on low-cost Emotiv
EPOC EEG measurements is reliable and confirms the results of previous studies.
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