Reading the Mobile Brain: from Laboratory to Real-World Electroencephalography

It is increasingly viable to measure the brain activity of mobile users, as they go about their everyday business in their natural world environment. This is due to: (i) modern signal processing methods, (ii) lightweight and cost-effective measurement devices, and (iii) a better, albeit incomplete, understanding of how measurable brain activity relates to mental processes. Here, we address how brain activity can be measured in mobile users and how this contrasts with measurements obtained under controlled laboratory conditions. In particular, we will focus on electroencephalography (EEG) and will cover: (i) hardware and software implementation, (ii) signal processing techniques, (iii) interpretation of EEG measurements. This will consist of hands-on analyses of real EEG data and a basic theoretical introduction to how and why EEG works.