computer science

Neural Impulse Actuator

Neural Impulse Actuator is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Neural Impulse Actuator rather than just read about it. In short: The Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA) is a brain–computer interface (BCI) device developed by OCZ Technology. BCI devices attempt to move away from the classic input devices like keyboard and mouse and instead read electrical activity from the head, preferably the EEG.

Key takeaways

Neural Impulse Actuator belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Neural Impulse Actuator to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Neural Impulse Actuator from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA) is a brain–computer interface (BCI) device developed by OCZ Technology. BCI devices attempt to move away from the classic input devices like keyboard and mouse and instead read electrical activity from the head, preferably the EEG. The name Neural Impulse Actuator implies that the signals originate from some neuronal activity; however, what is actually captured is a mixture of muscle, skin and nerve activity including sympathetic and parasympathetic components that have to be summarized as biopotentials rather than pure neural signals. As of May 27, 2011, the OCZ website says that the NIA is no longer being manufactured and has been end-of-lifed. On June 1, 2012 a post was made on the official forums, asking about the NIAs future, the reply being, "It [the NIA] was spun out into a different company as a side-effect of OCZ's IPO and that company is BCInet."

Name The name Neural Impulse Actuator is still justifiable since also the secondary signals are under neuronal control. The biopotentials are decompiled into different frequency spectra to allow the separation into different groups of electrical signals. Individual signals that are isolated comprise alpha and beta brain waves, electromyograms and electro oculograms. The current version of the NIA uses carbon-fibers injected into soft plastic as substrate for the headband and for the sensors and achieves sensitivity much greater than the original silver chloride-based sensors using a clip-on interface to the wire harness.

Shortkeys system Control over the computer in either desktop or gaming environments is done by binding keys to different zones within as many as three vertical joysticks. Each joystick can be divided into several zones based on thresholds and each zone within each joystick can be bound to a keyboard key. Each keystroke can further be assigned to several modes, including single keystroke, hold, repeat and dwell, which allows full plasticity with respect to configuration of the NIA for any application. Moreover, the same "vertical joysticks" can be used in more than one instance to enable simultaneous pressing of multiple keys at any given time like "W" and "Spacebar" for jumping forward or toggling between left and right strafing for running in a zigzag pattern.

Software support The only software available officially is proprietary to 32 and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows 7 (XP and Vista). No specifications have been published. People who are trying to make use of the device on Unix-like platforms, or create their own software for it for other reasons, say it may be a HID device providing raw data from its sensors to the software. There is no support for Linux. The 3rd-party input remapping applications GlovePIE and PPJoy accept input from the nia according to GlovePIE.org forums.

See also Comparison of consumer brain-computer interface devices Emotiv EPOC Mindset

References

External links Official website Official drivers: http://www.ocztechnology.com/resources/drivers/ Help for using the NIA OCZ Mind Controlled Gamer Mouse Nears Production OCZ preps neural headband controller for release U.S. patent 6,636,763 Brain-body actuated system U.S. patent 5,692,517 Brain-body actuated system anandtech.com http://www.ocztechnology.com/aboutocz/press/2008/273 – OCZ Press release http://www.tcmagazine.com/comments.php?shownews=18456 http://www.techpowerup.com/54897/Price_of_OCZ_Neural_Impulse_Actuator_Confirmed_$159.html Complete Review of NIA, including the practice it requires. Complete Review including its development.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Neural Impulse Actuator

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Neural Impulse Actuator claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Neural Impulse Actuator before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Neural Impulse Actuator ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Neural Impulse Actuator

In research: Neural Impulse Actuator appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Neural Impulse Actuator in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Neural Impulse Actuator is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Brain–computer interface, Computing input devices, History of human–computer interaction, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Neural Impulse Actuator outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Neural Impulse Actuator in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Neural Impulse Actuator means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Neural Impulse Actuator out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Neural Impulse Actuator in simple terms?

Why does Neural Impulse Actuator matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Neural Impulse Actuator?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Neural Impulse Actuator.