Chapter 4
– NeuroSky Technology Overview
eSense Meter - General Information
e eSense meters are a way to show how effectively the user is engaging Attention (similar to con-
centration) or Meditation (similar to relaxation).
Like exercising an unfamiliar muscle, it may take some time to gain full pro ciency with each of the
eSense™ meters. In many cases, people tend to be better at one eSense than the other when they
rst begin. We recommend trying different tactics until you are successful with one. Once you see
a reaction on the screen from your efforts, you will be able to duplicate the action more easily with
additional practice.
Generally, Attention can be controlled through a visual focus. Focus on a singular idea. Try to “funnel”
your concentration and focus your train of thought towards pushing up the meter. Other suggestions
include picking a point on the screen to stare at or imagining the action you are trying to accomplish
happening. For example, look at the Attention eSense meter and imagine the dial moving towards
higher numbers.
For Meditation, it typically helps to try to relax yourself. Connect to a sense of peace and calm by
clearing your mind of thoughts and distractions. If you are having difficulty engaging Meditation, close
your eyes, wait a number of seconds, and then open your eyes to see how the meter has responded.
If you have trouble at rst in controlling your eSense meter levels, be patient. Try different techniques
and practice. Also be sure to read and try to understand the Technical Description in order to get a
better idea about how eSense actually works under the hood.
eSense Meter - Technical Description
For each different type of eSense (i.e. Attention, Meditation), the meter value is reported on a relative
eSense scale of 1 to 100. On this scale, a value between 40 to 60 at any given moment in time is con-
sidered “neutral” and is similar in notion to “baselines” that are established in conventional brainwave
measurement techniques (though the method for determining a inkGear baseline is proprietary and
may differ from conventional brainwaves).
A value from 60 to 80 is considered “slightly elevated”, and may be interpreted as levels tending to
be higher than normal (levels of Attention or Meditation that may be higher than normal for a given
person). Values from 80 to 100 are considered “elevated”, meaning they are strongly indicative of
heightened levels of that eSense.
Similarly, on the other end of the scale, a value between 20 to 40 indicates “reduced” levels of the
eSense, while a value between 1 to 20 indicates “strongly lowered” levels of the eSense. ese levels
may indicate states of distraction, agitation, or abnormality, according to the opposite of each eSense.
e reason for the somewhat wide ranges for each interpretation is that some parts of the eSense
algorithm are dynamically learning and at times employ some “slow-adaptive” algorithms to adjust
to natural uctuations and trends of each user, accounting for and compensating for the fact that
brainwaves in the human brain are subject to normal ranges of variance and uctuation. is is part
of the reason why inkGear sensors are able to operate on a wide range of individuals under an
extremely wide range of personal and environmental conditions, while still giving good accuracy and
reliability.
eSense Meter - General Information
November 29, 2011
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