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Why Smart Technology Is Smarter

Physiological research studies require a great deal of focused expertise, including an ability to properly set up all necessary equipment for the study at hand. This has long consisted of overseeing a host of manual hardware connections and software settings, and mistakes can be frustrating. The good news is most users become proficient at these detailed configurations, but wouldn’t it be a welcome change if these setups were easier? Think about how helpful it would be if the hardware and software were “smarter” and actively worked on your behalf. This is now a reality with the smart technology offered by BIOPAC’s newly-released line of 100D Smart Amplifiers.

What is smart technology and what makes Smart Amplifiers smarter? To begin with, these amplifiers are significantly smaller than standard amplifiers (only 4.6 mm in length) and have no buttons or switches. The convenient lightweight design is a powerful benefit, enabling these amplifiers to be attached closer to the participant’s body. Because the amp itself is positioned near the signal source(via a lightweight 3-meter cable), the resulting data is of superbly high quality, with less noise and artifact than conventional amplifiers. But let’s get to the smart part. The smart technology in Smart Amplifiers enables them to do the setup work for you. Each Smart Amplifier, regardless of signal type, self-configures to the optimally recommended settings, negating the need for user-defined adjustments or monitoring of physical switch positions. Simply plug the amplifier into the new AMI100D Input Module now included with every BIOPAC MP160 System, launch the AcqKnowledge software, and begin recording data.

To minimize setup time and errors in the lab, Smart Amplifiers utilize auto-detection and auto-identification technology. Not only do they self-configure, they also alert you (via a software dialog) whether the amplifier is connected to the correct channel. So basically, using Smart Amplifiers right out of the box is a three step process. 1) connect the amplifiers, 2) select any desired calculation channels for derived signals, 3) click Record. That’s it.

Frequently-used calculation channels or transformations are pre-configured for all signals and can be enabled by simply checking a box in the amplifier’s software UI. (For example, the ECG100D Smart Amplifier offers options to add heart rate and/or R-R interval, and will automatically place these derived signals in a separate calculation channel in the AcqKnowledge graph.)

Smart Amplifiers are available for the following signals: ECG, EEG, EGG, EDA, RSP, PPG, ERS, EOG, SKT, EMG and new fEMG (facial and small muscle).

Significantly smaller footprint, simple setup, unparalleled user comfort, superlative data quality, compatible with previous-generation BIOPAC amplifiers (such as 100C and BioNomadix Series), portable and lightweight, Smart Amplifiers will be an epiphany for your research.

To see Smart Amplifiers in action, we invite you to watch our free on-demand webinar New Smart Technology for the Lab.

BIOPAC offers a wide array of wired and wireless equipment that can be used in your research. To find more information on solutions for recording and analyzing signals such as ECG, heart rate, respiration and more using any platforms mentioned in this blog post, you can visit the individual application pages on the BIOPAC website.

Small and Smaller – Untethered and Unfettered

Advancements in the engineering of data acquisition components have closely paralleled the microchip revolution. Ever-smaller form factors available in wireless transmission formats have resulted in a boon for researchers wishing to collect high-quality physiological data from participants in unfettered environments undreamed of a few years ago.

One of the linchpins of these cutting-edge systems is BIOPAC’s BioNomadix Series of wireless life science transmitters and receivers. BioNomadix modular receiver/amplifiers connect to the mother ship of the acclaimed MP160 System while the bite-sized matched transmitters attach to the participant, or comfortably nestle in a garment such as the BioNomadix BIOSHIRT. Unobtrusive specially designed leads connect to skin electrodes affixed to the participant, and BioNomadix units relying on transducers (such as respiration and skin temperature) offer equal convenience.

An even more streamlined system, the BioNomadix Smart Center, is also available. This system combines BioNomadix transmitters with the Smart Center all-in-one receiver and data acquisition unit. The soap bar-sized Smart Center connects to a computer USB port and supports up to 9 channels of physiological data from up to three wireless BioNomadix transmitters. (All BioNomadix transmitters are supported but connection is limited to three at a time.)

BioNomadix transmitters are dual-channel or dual-signal, with the exception of the Accelerometer, which supports three channels (X, Y, and Z axes).

Acquired signals are of extremely high quality and clarity and are rendered in AcqKnowledge Research Software. BioNomadix systems are available for fourteen body signal types, including ECG, RSP, PPG, EDA, EOG, EEG, EMG, EGG, ACCL, SKT, Goniometer, Dynamometer with EMG, Cardiac Output, and Heel-Toe Strike.

What does all of this mean to the researcher? Nearly unlimited freedom of movement at distances up to 10 meters from the receiver units—opening up new avenues of research and even new vistas in artistic expression.

A stunning and eclectic example of the latter can be taken from this brief performance by Compagnie Linga, a contemporary dance company based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Dancers wore BioNomadix accelerometers to record transmit their movements in real time, which were then digitally rendered in sound. The result is a tableau of dance and self-generated musical accompaniment, an artscape created from the firings of human physiology.

For more information about BioNomadix, please see:

BioNomadix Wireless Amplifiers

BioNomadix Wireless EMG for Neuro-Controlled Prosthetic

Free On-Demand Webinar – Recording Great Data from Exercising and Mobile Subjects

The Face of Facial Expression Analysis

Say you’re in a situation where it behooves you to keep a poker face. At an auto dealership negotiating a price on the new car of your dreams, or sitting across from your boss trying to make a case for a promotion. Your heart is pounding, sweat is forming in the crevasses of your palms, yet you need to keep yourself in check and not betray your excitement or apprehension. How skilled are we at masking emotions really? Emotions affect everyone in daily life, and play a key role in non-verbal communication. They are essential to understanding human behavior. A growing area of research is geared toward classifying and analyzing human emotions for a variety of studies, and methods for acquiring this data have become increasingly reliable and sophisticated. How do these studies work, and how is something as amorphous as the smallest twitch of a facial expression accurately recorded?

Facial “emotion reading” software such as FaceReader can detect minute variations in facial expressions by analyzing key points on the face (over 500) and has been “trained” with more than 10,000 manually annotated images to enhance facial modeling accuracy. Using this vast classification library, the input is distilled into six basic or universal emotions, (happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared, disgusted, or neutral.) Facial expression data is non-invasively gathered in real-time via a still or video camera, so no electrodes or leads are necessary.

But these refinements are more than skin deep. Additional tools for further quantifying facial expression data are commonly available. “Action Units” is the term used to describe individual or group facial muscle activity. The FaceReader Action Units add-on module allows automatic analysis of a selection of 20 common Action Units (such as raising of cheeks, wrinkling of nose, dimpling, and lip tightening) to measure affective attitudes (such as interest, boredom, and confusion).

Facial expressions can be visualized as bar graphs, in a pie chart, and as a continuous signal. Using FaceReader integrated with AcqKnowledge software and the MP160 System extends the functionality. Not only is the data automatically synchronized with other signals (ECG, fEMG, EDA, etc.,) but the recorded facial video can be monitored in the FaceReader display for real-time feedback.

Perhaps with a bit of practice, you can pull off that promotion and be able to afford that new car without tipping your hand!

For more information about FaceReader Software, watch the free On-Demand Webinar, “Using Facial Expressions to Understand Behavior” with BIOPAC CEO Frazer Findlay.

The Trouble with Fatigue

Fatigue is a troublemaker–it can have serious impacts on data quality, even when using gold standards of measurement.

Fatigue is a known troublemaker in athletics, but can also have negative effects in physiology research. Fatigue can become a confounding variable, giving researchers data that may be less accurate or reliable.

Men and women may respond to fatigue differently, which can make obtaining good data especially difficult. In one study on fatigue by Stern et al. (2012), the researchers attempted to monitor fatigue and show different effects between men and women. This study attempted to follow a central nervous system component, as well as the peripheral nervous system. Using the BIOPAC MP160 system with AcqKnowledge software to record and analyze EMG, researchers were able to continually monitor muscle and neuron activation during the exercise tests.

The results of the study found that females had a higher rate of reduced central neural drive of the quadriceps, coupled with knee extension torque preservation. These factors, when paired together, can create a higher percentage for the possibility of knee injury for women.

With coffee being such a staple in the home (and in the lab!), researchers Smirmaul et, al (2017) wanted to see if coffee had any effect on fatigue, duration of exercise, and the perception of effort. This study used seven adult male cyclists in moderate hypoxic states to obtain their results. The experiment used a double-blind procedure, with some participants receiving no coffee. The researchers wanted to see if the coffee participant group took a longer time to reach fatigue. EMG was obtained by using BIOPAC MP160 with EMG amplifiers. The results showed that coffee has no effect on fatigue, but coffee did improve the time it took until the athletes reached exhaustion in high endurance tasks. The researchers believe that coffee lowers the perceived effort of the athlete, leading them to think they can go further.

Fatigue can also have impacts on data, even when using gold standards of measurement. A separate study done on fatigue by Neyroud et al. (2016), attempted to show that muscle fatigue has an effect on the validity of the ITT (Interpolated Twitch Technique). The ITT is used to evaluate the capacity of the central nervous system in activating skeletal muscles. This study used BIOPAC’z MP research system with EMG amplifiers to monitor muscle and neuron activation. Electrical stimulus was given to both samples to create fatigue, and a separate stimulus was given to mimic the ITT. This study found that peripheral fatigue factors do have an effect on the outcome of the ITT.

BIOPAC offers a variety of equipment that can be used in studies similar to the ones presented. To find more information on solutions for recording and analyzing signals such as EEG, EMG, respiration, skin conductance using the MP160/MP150, MP36, and other platforms, you can visit the individual application pages on the BIOPAC website. If you are interested in reading other related studies, visit the publications page on the BIOPAC website.

The Physiology of Consumer Buying Habits

On “Black Friday” in the US, shoppers will come out in search of great deals, and researchers can measure the many physiological factors that motivate shoppers other than deals and price cuts.

Black Friday is one of the most exciting days for consumers in the United States. With the holidays right around the corner, significant deals and price cuts incentivize people to do bulk gift shopping. But is price the only factor influencing shoppers to dedicate hours waiting in line for a product?

In a neurophysiology study by Alexander et al., researchers found that participants who received a coupon while shopping online had a significant increase in oxytocin and a decrease in cortisol. A BIOPAC research system was used to gather ECG, respiration, and skin conductance data while the participants browsed a commerce website.

Another article by Ha-Brookshire and Bhaduri measured ECG response to stimuli that tested consumers’ perceived trust of businesses. The BIOPAC MP36R was used to record participants’ heart rates while they read negative reviews of an apparel business. The results found lower heart rate and less trust were correlated with the less favorable comments.

Conversely, a consumer research study by Langner et al. found that consumers’ love of brands is similar to their love of friends. Signals measured included EDA, EMG, ECG, and BPV, and were recorded by BIOPAC MP160/MP150 hardware to measure arousal levels while participants viewed different brand and interpersonal stimuli.

BIOPAC offers a variety of equipment that can be used in studies similar to the ones presented. To find more information on solutions for recording and analyzing signals such as EEG, EMG, respiration, skin conductance using the MP160/MP150, MP36, and other platforms, you can visit the individual application pages on the BIOPAC website. If you are interested in reading other related studies, visit the publications page on the BIOPAC website.

BIOPAC Systems, Inc. provides life science researchers and educators with data acquisition and analysis systems that inspire people and enable greater discovery about life. Visit us at www.biopac.com.