Table 2.
Characteristics of Consumer neuroscience tools.
| Tool | Measurement | Advantages | Disadvantages | Equipment price | Time | Integration level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EEG | Brain activity | Temporal resolution | Spatial resolution | €35K | 1 hr | Medium |
| Wearable EEG | Brain Activity | Temporal resolution | Spatial resolution | €500 to €25K | 30 min. | Medium |
| Portable | ||||||
| Low cost | ||||||
| fMRI | Brain Activity | Spatial resolutiona | Temporal resolutionb | €1M | 1 hr. | Low |
| Expensive | ||||||
| Non-portable | ||||||
| Ethical concerns | ||||||
| fNIRS | Brain Activity | Low sensitivity to motion artifacts | Spatial resolution | €50K | 1 h. | Medium |
| Portable | Temporal resolution | |||||
| ET | Visual attention | Portable | Low flexibility | €100 to €30K | 15 min. | High |
| Pupil dilatation | Low cost | Glasses/Contact lenses | ||||
| Fixationsc | ||||||
| ECG | Heartbeat | Portable | Slow signal | €10K | 15 min. | Medium |
| Blood flow | Low cost | Sensitivity to motion | ||||
| Low individual usefulness | ||||||
| fERS | Facial expressions | High flexibility | Low individual usefulness | €10K | 15 min. | High |
| Portable | ||||||
| GSR | Skin moisture level | Portable | Low individual usefulness | €100 to €2K | 15 min. | High |
a
Spatial resolution refers to how accurately the measured activity is localized within the brain.
b
Temporal resolution refers to how closely the measured activity corresponds to the timing of the actual neuronal activity.
c
Amount and duration of fixations can be a metric for attention.