DISTRIBUTED NEURO-RESPONSE DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

• US 20110046502A1
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: NeuroFocus Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Inventors: Pradeep, Anantha, Knight, Robert T., Gurumoorthy, Ramachandran
• Application Number:
  US12/544,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20110046502A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/378 Visual stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/38 Acoustic or auditory stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4035 Evaluating the autonomic nervous system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7207 of noise induced by motion artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Distributed mechanisms are provided for identifying stimulus material and collecting neuro-response data from subjects exposed to the stimulus material in a variety of environments. Neuro-response data collection mechanisms such as Electroencephalography (EEG), Electrooculography (EOG), eye tracking, and/or facial emotion encoding are used to collect data from subjects in environments such as home, work, and recreational settings. Cameras, audio recorders, video recorders, processors, etc., identify stimulus material the subject is exposed to. The data collected may be minimally or extensively processed prior to transmission to a neuro-response data analyzer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving neuro-response data from a neuro-response data collection mechanism associated with a user, the neuro-response data collection mechanism including electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes;

identifying video data in the frame of view of the user, the video data including marketing and entertainment materials observed by the user in non-laboratory settings;

identifying marketing and entertainment materials included in the video data;

analyzing the neuro-response data synchronized with the video data to determine the effectiveness of the marketing and entertainment materials that the user is exposed to in non-laboratory settings.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying video data comprises receiving video data from a camera included in the neuro-response data collection mechanism.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein neuro-response data is received from distributed neuro-response data collection mechanisms associated with a plurality of users in a plurality of geographic locations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the neuro-response data collection mechanism is shaped in the form of a baseball cap.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the neuro-response data collection mechanism comprises EEG electrodes and a video camera.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the neuro-response data collection mechanism comprises EOG sensors and an audio recorder.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the neuro-response data collection mechanism comprises EEG electrodes, a video camera, persistent storage, and a network interface integrated in a cap configured for wear in non-laboratory settings.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the neuro-response data collection mechanism comprises an externally oriented video camera recording data in the frame of view of the user and an internally oriented video camera recording facial emotion expressions and pupillary dilation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein video data recording is triggered by detection of salient neuro-responses.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the effectiveness of marketing and entertainment materials comprises measuring attention, emotion, and memory retention.

11. A neuro-response data collection mechanism, comprising:

a plurality of electroencephalography (EEG) dry electrodes arranged on an interior surface of a neuro-response data collection mechanism;

a camera having a lens arranged on an exterior surface of the neuro-response collection mechanism, the camera configured to capture data in the frame of view of a user wearing the neuro-response data collection mechanism;

a network interface configured to send data collected by the plurality of EEG dry electrodes and the camera to a data analyzer.

12. The neuro-response data collection mechanisms of claim 11, further comprising electrooculography (EOG) sensors.

13. The neuro-response data collection mechanisms of claim 11, further comprising a second camera having a lens arranged to detect facial expressions of a user wearing the neuro-response data collection mechanism.

14. The neuro-response data collection mechanisms of claim 11, further comprising an audio recorder and persistent memory.

15. The neuro-response data collection mechanisms of claim 11, wherein the neuro-response data collection mechanism is shaped in the form of a baseball cap.

16. The neuro-response data collection mechanisms of claim 11, wherein the plurality of EEG electrodes, the video camera, and the network interface are integrated in a cap configured for wear in non-laboratory settings.

17. The neuro-response data collection mechanisms of claim 11, wherein video data recording is triggered by detection of salient neuro-responses.

18. The neuro-response data collection mechanisms of claim 11, wherein the data analyzer is configured to determine the effectiveness of marketing and entertainment materials a user wearing the neuro-response collection mechanism is exposed to in non-laboratory settings.

19. The neuro-response data collection mechanisms of claim 11, wherein determining the effectiveness of marketing and entertainment materials comprises measuring attention, emotion, and memory retention.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving neuro-response data from a neuro-response data collection mechanism associated with a user, the neuro-response data collection mechanism including electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes;

means for receiving video data from a camera included in the neuro-response data collection mechanism, the video data recording data in the frame of view of the user, the video data including marketing and entertainment materials observed by the user in non-laboratory settings;

means for identifying marketing and entertainment materials included in the video data;

means for analyzing the neuro-response data synchronized with the video data to determine the effectiveness of the marketing and entertainment materials that the user is exposed to in non-laboratory settings.