Upside Down Labs’ Neuro PlayGround Lite (NPG Lite) product can detect biopotentials, although it does not offer mind control in the science-fiction sense. In the example on Instructables, it is possible to change television channels by blinking or moving a muscle. Infrared transceivers can be added to the device, which contains ESP32, to control IR-controlled devices; the real challenge is reading blinks. NPG Lite combines a three-channel instrumentation amplifier, ADC and ESP32-C6 radio to measure small biological voltages. EEG, EMG, ECG or EOG can be measured depending on the position of the electrodes and the signal-processing methods. In addition to the hardware, signal-processing software also plays an important role. The system can be used for games and other biosignal-based interfaces.
Why it matters
This type of setup shows that biosignals are raw data that must be interpreted by electrode placement and software, rather than being a command on their own. Therefore, the fact that the same hardware can be adapted to different measurements such as EEG, EMG, ECG or EOG makes its range of applications dependent more on the signal-separation process in the application than on the circuit design. Working with intentional signals such as blinking and muscle movement creates an additional layer of control for interacting with existing IR-controlled devices. However, in this approach, which biosignal is targeted, how the electrodes are positioned and how unwanted movements are filtered out remain the key questions determining how consistently the system will work in practice.