The purpose of a brain-computer interface (BCI) is to have a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. That enables its users to interact with computers by mean of brain-activity.

BCI isn’t a mind-reading device like a Cerebro. Instead, it detects the changes in the energy emitted by the brain. A human brain contains about 86 billion neurons, each individually linked to other neurons. Every time we think or move a muscle, these neurons are at work, activated with energy. A BCI recognises these energy patterns in the brain.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a popular technique for recording signals from our brain. It is non-invasive, so we don’t need to cut open our skull to collect our brain signals.

EEG records the energy generated by the brain using a series of electrodes placed on the scalp. This involves a person wearing an EEG cap with electrodes placed at specific points. These electrodes detect brain activity, which is electrical energy emitted from our brain.