Brain–computer interfaces (BCI’s) are the future of interfacing with the machines around us. As crowdfunding and open source software are gaining in popularity, this wonderful world is now coming to enthusiasts around the world.

OpenBCI, the EEG Arduino shield

This Kickstarter project is a prime example of how the field of electronics is becoming more open. This easy-to-use EEG shield for the Arduino gives almost everyone the possibility to measure their brain activity.

The $ 215,438 backing OpenBCI shows that lot of people believe in these kind of projects.  It’s easy to see why,  for under $ 300  you get an EEG starter kit that easily compares in quality to commercial systems that are  a lot more expensive.

Earlier Kickstarter projects, such as Melon, got funded successfully as well. The difference was that these products were more playful and offered fewer possibilities. This first “scientific” device is indeed a major breakthrough.

These kind of projects, to me, make studying electronics so interesting and worthwhile. It’s a field that is (still) rapidly evolving and is offering exiting new opportunities to everyone willing to put in some time and effort.