Evaluating NeuroSky’s Single-Channel EEG Sensor for Drowsiness Detection

NeuroSky’s single-channel EEG sensor has drawn researchers’ interest because the sensor offers higher usability at a significantly lower cost. The sensor is minimally obtrusive, measuring the brainwaves from a single location on the head. This is an excellent feature from a usability standpoint. Yet, the sensor needs to be evaluated for specific applications. This paper presents preliminary assessment of the sensor in detecting drowsiness. A simulated driving task was used as a testbed. A total of 14 participants participated in the study. The results reveal no statistically significant difference in brain activities between the drowsy and the attentive states, indicating that the brainwaves used in the analysis are unable to distinguish the two driving states.