Two multi sensor devices: the Apple watch 9 costs 900 USD, the OpenBCI Galea costs 25 000 USD – is the Galea worth that much?

Last Updated on April 22, 2024 by pg@petergamma.org

  • The multi-sensor device Apple watch 9 costs 400 USD
  • but the multi-sensor EEG device OpenBCI Galea costs 25 000 USD
  • what is wrong with OpenBCI Galea?

If we look at this example with the Apple watch:

  • We can see that we can have a new Apple watch 9 for 400 USD with contemporary software which is based on InfluxDB and Grafana.

And then we have to OpenBCI Galea multi-sensor EEG device with a bit more than 16 channels for 25 000 USD:

  • with a modified version of OpenBCI GUI.
  • But the software of the Galea is as far as we know not based on InfluxDB & Grafana.
  • Is it not hard to believe that it is possible to build an Apple watch 9 for a view hundert dollars,
  • but it is not possible to build a consumer grade EEG device such as OpenBCI Cyton with 8 channels for less than 1 000 USD?
  • OpenBCI Cyton is currently CHF 923.00 which is 1003.37 USD in the www.openbci.com shop.

If OpenBCI made in China does not work, it is the only option which we currently have. But does this high price not make us retreat from this product?

  • Eventually it is not possible to sell a 8 channel multi-sensor device from www.openbci.com for less than 1000 USD.
  • But is it not possible to build such a device by ourselves?
  • And should we not better go to a university library which offers more information at the university level, as for instance this one:

And should we not better go to a university library which offers more information at the university level, as for instance this one:

https://infozentrum.ethz.ch/en

than looking on YouTube and in the web, or on Google Scholar for such products?