Connectionists: New release of OpenViBE 0.4.0

[Yann Renard]

New release of *OpenViBE* 0.4.0 is now available for download at :
<http://openvibe.inria.fr/?q=download>

=== Overview =========================================

OpenViBE is an opensource platform that enables to design, test and use 
Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). Broadly speaking, OpenViBE can be used 
in many real-time Neuroscience applications.

The OpenViBE platform stands out for its high modularity. It addresses 
the needs of different types of users (programmers and non-programmers) 
and proposes a user-friendly graphical language which allows 
non-programmers to design a BCI without writing a single line of code.

OpenViBE is portable, independent of hardware or software targets, can 
run under Windows and Linux and is entirely based on free and 
open-source software. OpenViBE is compatible with MATLAB programming.

OpenViBE comes with preconfigured scenarios and runs already existing 
applications such as :
  * BCI based on motor imagery
  * P300 speller
  * Neurofeedback
  * Real-time visualization of brain activity in 2D or 3D

OpenViBE is available under the terms of the LGPL-v2+. The whole 
software is developed in C++. It consists of a set of software modules 
that can be integrated easily and efficiently to design BCI applications 
such as for Virtual Reality interaction.

=== Where to get more information ====================

If you want more details, check these links :

*Website*
<http://openvibe.inria.fr>

*Quick introduction video* :
<http://openvibe.inria.fr/video.php?q=video-openvibe-introduction-en>

*Software download* :
<http://openvibe.inria.fr/?q=download>

*One-hour training session video* :
<http://openvibe.inria.fr/video.php?q=video-designer-training-fr&playlist=true>

*Screenshots and videos* :
<http://openvibe.inria.fr/?q=medias>

=== What changed since 0.4.0 RC4 ? ===================

In this new release, you will find the following modifiactions (+ for 
adds, * for modifications, - for removes) :

  + Mr. Christoph Veigl contributed and added a new driver for OpenEEG 
Modular EEG / Monolith EEG
  + We added a new driver : g.Tec's gUSBamp acquisition device
  + We added a new P300-based entertaining application called "Magic 
Card" + We added tooltips for new users :)
  + We updated the sample scenarios
  * We propose a stabilized P300-based pipeline
  * We made the development of new classifiers easier thanks to base 
algorithms
  * We updated the dependencies installation script for linux so that it 
uses native packages instead of compiling everything from scratch
  * We updated the dependencies installation for windows so that DirectX 
and Visual C++ Runtime gets installed automatically if needed
  * We updated the online documentation and tutorials
  * We fixed lots of bugs !
  - The VR demo are no more built by default as OpenMASK is not 
compiling on recent Linux distributions

  + We added several tooltips for new users :)
  + We added a k-fold test in the classifier trainer box
  + We added a functionnality to load/save channel names in the 
acquisition server
  + We enabled the voting classifier box to vote either on streamed 
matrix or on stimulations
  + We added a frequency band selector box
  + We added a signal decimation box
  + We added a CSV file writer box (text based)
  * We changed the way chanels can be selected in the signal display, 
power spectrum display and time frequency map display
  * We reimplemented the common average reference box

=== What's coming in the next release ================

Here is a snapshot of what we are currently doing and what you can 
expect from the next release :

  + A BrainProducts V-Amp acquisition driver
  + A Neuroscan acquisition driver
  + A MitsarEEG driver
  + Online comparison of different processing pipelines performance 
(e.g. multiple classifiers)
  + More documentation on the sample scenarios
  * GUI definition will move from glade to gtk-builder
  * VR demos will move from OpenMASK to native Ogre3D

=== Closing words ====================================

We want to thank Christoph Veigl for his quick and efficient 
contribution. Feel free to join us and to contribute as Christoph and 
others are doing... <http://openvibe.inria.fr/?q=contributions> !

Also, starting from release 0.4.0, we decided that OpenViBE would be 
released every three months. You can expect a 0.5.0 release around 
christmas, 0.6.0 release by the end of march etc...

Looking forward to hearing your feedback, we hope you'll enjoy working 
with OpenViBE as we do.

Best regards,
The OpenViBE consortium

*Contact* :
Project Leader : Anatole Lécuyer, INRIA (anatole.lecuyer at irisa.fr)
Lead Software Engineer : Yann Renard, INRIA (yann.renard at irisa.fr)