Brain–Computer Interfaces - Index of

Using BCI2000 in BCI Research 263
Once BCI2000 has been started, further configuration and control is performed
through a dedicated Operator Module. That module provides the experimenter’s
user interface. While it may contain different parameters that are specific to a
particular experiment, the Operator module is the same program for all possible
configurations of BCI2000. In other words, the BCI2000 graphical interface to the
investigator does not have to be rewritten for different configurations. The Operator
module provides a user interface to start, pause, and resume system operation. In
addition, it is able to display logging information, signal visualization, and a reduced
copy of the user’s screen during system operation (Fig. 2).
The functional details of individual modules are configured by parameters
that are requested by the individual components that make up each module.
For example, the data acquisition component of the BCI2000 Source module
typically requests a parameter that sets the device’s sampling rate. The parameters
of all modules are displayed, modified, and organized in the Operator module’s
configuration dialog (Fig. 3).
To perform experiments using BCI2000, one needs a Source module that corresponds
to the utilized hardware used; a Signal Processing module that extracts
features relevant to the BCI paradigm of choice; and a User Application module that
implements the particular BCI paradigm. For simple stimulation experiments that do
not require real-time feedback, the Signal Processing module may be replaced with
an empty “dummy” module.
Fig. 2 BCI2000 Operator module, displaying source signal (bottom left), timing information (top
right), a downsampled copy of the application window (medium right), and an application log
(bottom right)