What is the Unicorn BCI Core-4 Headband?

The Unicorn BCI Core-4 Headband is a 4-channel dry-electrode EEG headband built for one thing above all: getting a usable BCI control signal on a subject's head in seconds. There is no cap to fit, no gel to apply and no electrode montage to plan. The electrodes are embedded in the band itself and positioned over the parietal region, which is where the signal quality matters for bandpower and control applications.

The amplifier attaches magnetically to the base station and powers on the moment it makes contact. To switch it off, detach it, turn it around and snap it back in place. That detail sounds small, but for teaching labs, demonstrations and field work it removes the single most common source of wasted time.

Key Features

• Seconds to set up: Dry electrodes embedded in the headband. Put it on and data acquisition begins.
• Parietal electrode placement: Positions chosen specifically to optimise BCI control accuracy.
• 4 DC-coupled channels at 24 bit: 250 Hz per channel with high internal oversampling to reduce noise.
• Snap-in magnetic amplifier: Powers on automatically on contact and reverses for safe transport.
• Long battery life: More than 6 hours in measurement mode and more than 9 hours in connection mode.
• Bluetooth 5: Stable wireless streaming to Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and Android-based VR headsets.
• Programmable environment: g.Pype SDK for Python and the Unity Bandpower Interface are both supported.
• Integration ready: Designed to be built into custom applications and product designs.

g.Pype SDK for Python

g.Pype is a Python software development kit for building brain-computer interface applications with the Core-4 Headband. It uses a node-based interface to assemble real-time pipelines for acquisition, signal processing and visualisation, with room to drop in your own Python code at any stage. It installs through pip, runs on Windows and macOS, ships with prebuilt example blocks and pipelines, and is free for personal use. For commercial deployment, g.Pype Runtime packages a pipeline as a standalone backend requiring no third-party libraries on the target system.

Unity Bandpower Interface

The Unity Bandpower Interface is a plugin that calculates bandpower in real time and exposes it inside Unity, so neurofeedback applications and BCI games can be built without writing signal processing code. Builds deploy to Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and Android-based head-mounted displays including Meta Quest.

The Labyrinth game

The Labyrinth game is a ready-made demonstration of the Unity Bandpower Interface in which the player navigates out of a maze using concentration alone. It runs on the Core-4 Headband and the Core-8, and is available for Android, Windows PC and Meta Quest VR. It is the fastest way to show a room full of people what a BCI feels like.

APIs across platforms

Beyond Python and Unity, an Android API is available for Java development, and community repositories cover macOS and iOS development. Real-time data can be routed onward to external software for synchronisation with other measurement modalities.

Typical uses

• Rapid BCI demonstrations and outreach events
• Neurofeedback and concentration training applications
• Brain-controlled Unity games and VR experiences
• Teaching labs where setup time per student is critical
• Product prototypes and custom hardware integration
• Mobile and out-of-lab bandpower monitoring