Re: NEW REVIEW: BrainMaster Atlantis

[Guest guest]

Pete wrote: " The 2X2 unit has 2 EEG channels,

like previous BMers, plus 2 channels of peripheral biofeedback. "

Will the peripheral BF be incorporated into an NF training screen, so

that a person will be able to track GSR, say, while training NF?

>

> BRAINMASTER:

> I got my first BrainmMaster (Bmer) 2E around 1998, after having

worked 8 years with large 1-channel units that cost several thousand

dollars. It was about the size of a hardbound book, came with

everything I needed to get started and was quite reliable. Most

exciting, it had 2 channels instead of 1, so I could train 2 separate

sites or clients at the same time if I wished, and it cost about one-

third of the units I was using.

>

> I was coming out of DOS-based software, and BMer 1.8 software was

basic and simple to use, and I got as good or better results for a

lot less money. I upgraded to version 1.9 then to 2.0. More

recently I've gotten version 2.5.

>

> BMer as a company is clearly one of the most stable and dependable

in the field. They have been producing hardware and software for a

long time, and they provide solid technical support for their

products. It's more than a one-person show, unlike many others in

the field. Their head man, Tom Collura, is among the most

knowledgeable—and least ego-driven—of the players in neurofeedback.

>

> BMer has hitched its marketing wagon to three horses. 1. They sell

only to (or through) licensed practitioners. If you are a home

trainer and want a BMer, you `ll have to get a note from your doctor

(or buy from an intermediary like brain-trainer.com). That allows

them to focus their efforts more clearly, including a set-up which

allows clinicians to sell training minutes to home users to maintain

more control of the process.. 2. They sell a lot of add-ons. You buy

their software, but if you want to be able to run video files with

it, it's extra; if you want to have certain sounds included, it's

extra. That said, what you get with the basic BMer package is the

hardware, the software, the cables, electrodes, paste, prep and a

manual, so you are pretty much ready to go out of the box. 3. BMer

has formed alliances with Bob Thatcher, Hershel Toomim, Val Brown,

Demos, Soutar, Wise, the Othmers and others over

the years. It was one of the first in the field to open its doors to

BE, which will run the BMer amps in place of BMer's own software. In

a field that tends to be fragmented, BMer's strategy is inclusive.

>

> Despite all this, I had almost never used my BMer box—or the

software—over the past couple years. The amplifier was 12 years old

in design and had been passed by other faster, more accurate and less

expensive amps. BioExplorer (BE) software had thrown BMer software

into total eclipse with its true Windows interface, broad range of

training challenges and fantastic feedback options all bundled into

the program.

>

> Recently, though, with nagging questions about the future of BE, I

began to seek alternatives that were user-friendly, cost-effective

and capable. At Winter Brain, I got a chance to see BMer 2.5

software and was very impressed by the huge strides the company had

made in bringing its software up to the standard set by BE.

>

> I got the BMer 2EW (the wideband/black box) and used it a bit,

mostly with BE. A longstanding BMer problem of extreme sensitivity

to noise was still an issue. At a recent workshop, a trainee who had

just bought a wideband unit struggled to get a clean signal for an

assessment. We moved the set-up, unplugged the laptop power supply,

etc. Finally, I replaced the BMer with my Pendant. The signal was

perfect and clean, and we did the assessment with no problems.

>

> ATLANTIS

> A month or so ago I heard about the release of a new amplifier line

from BMer, called the Atlantis, which offers two models: the 4X4

(Atlantis I) and the 2X2 (Atlantis II). I got the 4X4 and have spent

a few days playing with it.

>

> The Atlantis breaks new ground for BMer by adding the option of

doing peripheral biofeedback as well as neurofeedback in the same

unit. This puts it in direct competition with J & J and Infiniti

units. I was very excited by the option of doing HEG, heart-rate

variability and EEG all with the same unit. Or I could do GSR, EMG,

temperature or perhaps breathing. The 2X2 unit has 2 EEG channels,

like previous BMers, plus 2 channels of peripheral biofeedback. The

4X4 Atlantis can do 4 channels of each. That makes the Atlantis I a

viable tool for synchrony training. Also, as those of you who have

trained with me know, I like training multiple people on a single

unit, making the training cooperative. Atlantis I would let you do 2-

channel training on a mother and child (or 1-channel on a whole

family) at the same time!

>

> BMers have always had an internal rechargeable battery. When it

worked (as it did most of the time) it was no problem. When it

didn't, it could be quirky and irritating. BMer has always cabled to

the computer's Serial port. Lately it hasn't been easy to find

computers with Serial ports, so you have to install an adaptor. The

Atlantis neatly dumps both of these issues by linking through the USB

port—and getting its power from that port as well! No more batteries

or power cords. No more on/off switch to flip on by mistake in your

carrying case and run down the battery. By staying with a cable, BMer

avoids the problems that come with wireless (Pendant/Pocket) or

Bluetooth (PET) systems: intermittent disruptions that cause signal

to drop out and interference with other wireless devices, especially

other Pendants, Pockets or PET's in the environment.

>

> The Atlantis box is much smaller and lighter than the BMers you

know. It is about the size of an Infiniti and slightly larger than a

Pocket Neurobics. On the front, there are two cable receptacles that

take 3-foot shielded input cables into which you plug the

electrodes. Previous BMers have plugged electrodes directly into the

front of the amp, which meant the client's head couldn't be further

than the length of an electrode wire from the box. The Atlantis can

easily be placed almost anywhere you want, since you can be up to 10

feet from the computer and up to 6 feet from the head. What's more,

the shielded cables should help resolve the noise sensitivity

issues. The head of the input cable is clearly marked for active and

reference electrodes in both channels.

>

> The technical specifications of Atlantis move it well beyond

previous BMers and actually past many of its competitors. It

actually samples EEG at 1024 samples/second with 24 bits of

resolution—both well above most alternatives. The EEG is then

resampled after removal of interference at 256/second, which should

keep signals looking like you are used to seeing them on displays.

The Atlantis also offers bandwidth up to 100 Hz, so you can track EMG

and/or train higher frequency EEG. There is a promise that, with the

new software, Atlantis will also be able to train Slow Cortical

Potentials.

>

> The Atlantis has built-in a continuous impedance tester. No more

impedance meters! Colored lights for each of the 4 channels indicate

impedance levels and are active throughout the session. BMer promises

that numeric impedance data will be sent to the PC in a continuous

stream. You can see if a problem develops even during a session. You

can use ActivEEG or standard electrodes.

>

> The Atlantis I has lots of bells and whistles that are not

available on the Atlantis II: outputs for photic stimulation, tactile

feedback devices, binaural beat stimulators, etc. Neither these, nor

the peripheral biofeedback options are actually implemented yet in

2.5. BMer plans to release a 3.0 version of the software in September

that will activate at least a number of these options, with more to

come.

>

> The Atlantis is a new product, considered by the company to be in

field-testing at present. The User's Manual reads like something

written by an engineer and edited by a lawyer. BMer manuals

generally are pretty useful, so I would expect this one to improve

over time as well. There is a color manual on installation of the

driver for the USB interface.

>

> 2.5/3.0 SOFTWARE

> The BMer 2.5 software is now capable of establishing pretty much

the full range of challenges a trainer might wish via its new Event

Wizard interface, which is accessed in typical BMer fashion by

clicking a button on the Setup screen. The Event Wizard does not

attempt to emulate BE's graphic interface for protocol design.

Rather it uses something of a logical sequence system, a bit like the

Infiniti software but not so rigid.

>

> Attached to this review is a sample of the Window, which shows a

target of 6 microvolts, set for Theta. When you begin working with

the Event Wizard, as with any new interface, it is a bit time-

consuming to set up what you want, but with a little practice it

becomes pretty quick and simple. The ability to link Events together

and even loop them means that those who wish to be more creative in

their training designs have plenty of options to work with. You can

define up to 16 events in a protocol.

>

> On the right side of the window is 2.5's expanded sound-management

interface. Here again, there are lots of options and some very nice

sound fields can be achieved with a little practice. The sound

interface allows you to select whether to play a note or a variety of

chords, offers 15 different scales (including some not included in

BE), allows you to select the key and modulate either pitch or volume

of the training note.

>

> One of BMer's hallmarks for a number of years has been its

inclusion in the software of a number of preset protocols a new user

can use right away without any knowledge of the software. The

presets in 2.5 include a number that demonstrate how the Event Wizard

can be used.

>

> One of the best parts of 2.5, and an area where it absolutely beats

BE, is in its game interface. There are only four so far in the

program, but they are easy to understand and directly related to the

feedback and should be very engaging. Pacman in particular, a cliché

in neurofeedback games, really rises to a new level. In the 2.5

version of Pacman, there are rules that Pacman learns, depending on

how well the client does. The more rules are learned, the faster and

more efficiently Pacman muches its way through the maze. Unlike so

many of the alternatives, this Pacman's course is likely to be

different every time you play it, so the game can be as involving as

its original namesake. Two games and another from BMer

round out the current set. The ability to link these Flash games to

the Event Wizard offers some pretty cool options to trainers working

with kids especially.

>

> A second place in which 2.5 bests BE is in graphing. The options

for graphing an individual session, which are included in 2.5,

require you to open BioReview in BE. While you have many more

graphing options in BioReview for a single session, at present there

is no way to use the program to graph results across sessions. 2.5,

like all previous BMer software versions, does this quite easily.

>

> BMer's training screens and interface are not in the class with BE,

but they improve with every release, and they are much more than just

serviceable. Changing the background color to black has made the

colors pop more effectively.

>

> Unfortunately, 2.5 still is not able to produce a data file that

can be used by the TLC Assessment. The software is limited to a

fairly small number of frequency bands—never likely to be a training

problem, but a real problem if you want to use the assessment. I've

worked with Tom for a while to try to figure a way around this, and

he says that in some future version of the software, the limitations

will be lifted, but at present you'll need to use BE with your

Atlantis if you want to do TLC Assessments.

>

> Of course Demos is developing an assessment that will work

with the smaller number of frequencies, and it's possible to buy a

BMer mini-Q and EEG cap and gather data that can be sent to Bob

Thatcher for use with his database, so there is no shortage of

options for assessments, but all of them require a significant outlay

of dollars.

>

> If you already know BE, you may find the 2.5 interface a bit of a

challenge, just as it would likely be going the other direction. But

if you are just starting and will have to learn a new software,

either option will give you a great deal to work with. And the BMer

hardware, alone in the field, will actually be able to work with

either or both.

>

> PRICING

> List prices are $2,695 for the Atlantis I and $1,695 for the

Atlantis II. If you want to be able to run AVI files or use the

special sound package (e.g. for alpha theta training) you will have

to spend extra to get those. Of course, even with a new product like

this, all BMer hardware and software are discounted 10% at Brain-

Trainer.com.

>

> I've been told that the Atlantis units have HEG interface hardware

(for nIR systems) built in, as do the Pendant and Pocket units from

Minder Labs. If that is true, when the software supports it, you will

be able to use HEG just by buying a headband. In that case, an

Atlantis II with software and HEG and a Pendant system with BE, 2 EEG

channels and HEG will be almost dead even!

>

> CAVEATS

> Atlantis is still not fully implemented in the software. Those who

purchase it now will get 2.5 software and will automatically be

upgraded at no additional cost to 3.0 when it is released. How many

of the many options built into Atlantis will actually be implemented

in 3.0 as it is first released is not clear, but BMer over the past

year or so has been quite active in upgrading the software. I see no

reason why that will change in the near future.

>

> BE users should be aware that, according to BMer folks, they have

been unable to get a response from Larry Janow to their requests for

his involvement in changing the drivers in BE to work with Atlantis.

I was able to install it in my version of BE, but there was a

constant sync error signal in the software. I haven't yet had a

chance to test the two softwares side by side to see if that is

simply a sign that BE doesn't fully recognize what the Atlantis is or

whether it actually has an effect on the readings. And, unless Larry

becomes available again, it is absolutely certain that implementation

of the more advanced features of Atlantis in BE will lag behind or

never happen.

>

> Finally, this is a real departure for BMer, and it is likely that

there will be all the usual glitches and bugs showing up in the first

year or so. That said, however, the Atlantis represents a huge step

for the company and for the field in general.

>

> SUMMARY

> I must admit that I really had begun to wonder how much longer BMer

would be around as a force in the brain training marketplace after

BioExplorer and Minder Labs began competing with them. For a while,

it seemed that the company had lost its creative drive and was just

making minor upgrades in the same old hardware and software. The

release of both Atlantis and 2.5/3.0 in the past six months has

served notice: Brainmaster isn't going away! In fact, it is

committed to staying right near the top of its field. And that's

good news for all of us.

>