New brain activity monitoring system to support interdisciplinary research at UAA

(Photos by James Evans / University of Alaska Anchorage)

Engineering students at UAA have a new tool to experiment with this fall. The College of Engineering (CoEng) recently acquired a Wearable Sensing DSI-24 electroencephalogram (EEG) system for its AI and Robotics Lab to support research involving brain activity, brain-computer interfaces and the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning methods for analyzing and interpreting electrical signals from the brain.

Funding for the DSI-24 was made possible by the Educational Legacy Fund.

"These technologies are advancing very quickly, and I want our students to have opportunities to work with emerging tools and contribute to research at the forefront of AI, brain-computer interfaces and neurotechnology," said Masoumeh Heidari, Ph.D., CoEng assistant professor.

Using 19 electrodes and two earclips, with three auxiliary inputs for extra sensors, the DSI-24 records electrical activity from the scalp and outputs that data for visualization and analysis. The device is also considered a dry EEG system, which allows for quick and easy setup. Wet systems, by contrast, require more prep time to apply conductive gels and prepare the skin.

Once data is collected, it can be used for a wide range of research applications. For example, one of the first projects planning to use the DSI-24 will estimate cognitive states in individuals with disabilities or neurological and developmental conditions as they perform various reading tasks. Another project will examine brain activity and eye-movement patterns during computer programming tasks to better understand cognitive processes involved in learning and problem solving.

"Right now when I work with EEG data, I'm usually getting it from publicly available sources, so I'm excited to be able to collect my own data for my own tasks," said Vadim Egorov, CoEng graduate student.

In addition to engineering projects, CoEng is looking forward to sharing its newest tool with the rest of UAA to collaborate on interdisciplinary research.

"If you think about healthcare, for example, we're interested in working with people with disabilities. So there's a natural tie-in with psychologists, educators and healthcare practitioners - they have that domain expertise and experience working with human subjects. We can collaborate on conducting experiments and performing the technical analysis," said Kenrick Mock, Ph.D., CoEng dean.