Neuro PlayGround Lite – A multichannel wireless bio-signal capture board for HCI & BCI projects (Crowdfunding)

Neuro PlayGround Lite, or NPG Lite for short, is an ESP32-C6-powered multichannel wireless bio-signal capture board designed for HCI (Human-Computer Interface) and BCI (Brain Computer Interface) projects and applications.

It can capture Electrocardiography (ECG), Electromyography (EMG), Electrooculography (EOG), or Electroencephalography (EEG) signals, and the ESP32-C6-MINI-1 module used in the design supports 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, and Thread for mesh networking. It also follows the Adafruit Feather form factor, so it can be expanded with FeatherWings add-ons, including the company’s Playmate boards.

Neuro PlayGround Lite specifications:

• Wireless Module – Espressif Systems ESP32-C6-MINI-1-N4
  • SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C6
    • CPU
      • Single-core 32-bit RISC-V clocked up to 160 MHz
      • Low-power RISC-V core @ up to 20 MHz
    • Memory/Storage – 320KB ROM, 512KB SRAM
    • Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and 802.15.4 radio (for Thread/Zigbee)
  • Storage – 4MB flash
  • Antenna – PCB antenna
• USB – USB Type-C port for power/charging and programming
• Sensor Interfaces
  • Up to 3x BioAmp input on board using the 6x Analog inputs from the Feather headers
  • 3 additional channels with VibZ+ playmate for a total of 6.
  • Supports ECG, EMG, EOG, and EEG
• Expansion – Standard Feather headers for GPIO, UART, etc…
• Misc
  • 6x RGB addressable LEDs for visual feedback
  • User LED and battery charging indicator LED
  • Reset and User/Boot buttons
• Power Supply
  • 5V via USB-C port
  • 600 mA LDO and LiPo battery charging on board
  • Picoblade LiPo battery connector
  • USB & user protection diodes
• Dimensions – Feather form factor (about 65 x 23 mm)

Upside Down Labs also offers three Playmate add-on boards:

• Proto Playmate –  Prototyping area, electrode connector interface, ON/OFF slide switch, and a Qwiic connector.
• VibZ Playmate – Vibration motor and buzzer, electrode connector interface, ON/OFF slide switch, and a Qwiic connector.
• VibZ+ Playmate – Based on VibZ Playmate plus 3-channel BioAmp. Designed for applications that require higher-resolution biosignal input or more spatial coverage.

The company provides the Chords Arduino firmware for the NPG Lite board (Serial, BLE, or WiFi variants of the firmware), but it also works on most ESP32-S3 boards and other targets with analog inputs. You’ll find the Arduino sketches on GitHub along with some documentation.

The firmware is designed to work with the company’s Chords that process bio signals for easy visualization, processing, analysis, and recording on a computer or smartphone. Four components of Chords are available:

• Chords-Web – A NextJS-based tool for BioAmp data visualization, processing, and recording.
• Chords-Python – A Python-based tool for BioAmp data visualization, processing, analysis, and recording.
• Chords LSL Connector – A Rust-based program to stream NPG data over Lab Streaming Layer.
• Chords LSL Visualizer – A Rust-based program to visualize data from any LSL stream.

The Neuro PlayGound Lite is not quite the first bio-signal capture board for BCI applications/projects we’ve covered, and, for instance, the PiEEG Kit for Raspberry Pi offers up to 10 channels. The HealthyPi 5 is another option, but it focuses on vitals capture rather than BCI/HCI applications.

Upside Down Labs has just launched the Neuro PlayGround Lite bio-signal acquisition board on Crowd Supply with a $20,000 funding target. Rewards start at $99 for the Explorer Pack with an NPG Lite board, a Proto Playmate, 7 snap cables, 5 alligator cables, 12 gel electrodes, and 1 battery connector. The $149 NPG Lite – Ninja Pack adds a 3D printed case with battery and VibZ Playmate, and offers a total of 24 gel electrodes, while the $199 NPG Lite – Beast Pack features the VibZ+ Playmate, 13 snap cables, 8 alligator cables, and 24 gel electrodes. There are also additional accessories if needed. Shipping adds $8 to the US and $18 to the rest of the world, and deliveries are scheduled to start by the end of November 2025.

 

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