Research-grade neuroscience for makers and builders

Neurobeat Zero

Neurobeat Zero is a research-grade biopotential board small enough to go anywhere: Arduino-programmable, and streaming straight into the tools you already use, like BrainFlow and EEGLAB. No PC required. No USB to contaminate the signal. Deploy any app from the App Store in one click, encrypted end to end.

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Arduino-native, one-click to ship

Neurobeat Zero is Arduino-programmable end-to-end. Write your app in the Arduino IDE or PlatformIO, push it to the board over WiFi, and distribute it to the community via the Neurobeat App Store.

Real-time, high-throughput on-board processing

Neurobeat Zero closes the loop on-device. Read, analyze, and drive with low latency and near-zero jitter. You don't need MATLAB or any installed software. A browser and the App Store are enough. If you use BrainFlow or EEGLAB, Neurobeat Zero streams to both.

Juice your data

High sampling rates, 24-bit resolution, and a common-mode rejection bias driver (Driven Right Leg) reduce power-line interference. Timestamps captured at data-ready interrupt, aligning samples accurately with video or other streams. Battery power keeps switching noise off the analog rail.

Your data, secure

Biopotential signals are sensitive data, and yet many devices transfer them with weak or no encryption over the air. We've built in robust security (TLS, end-to-end encryption, no Bluetooth) to keep your signal streaming private and effortless.

Feather-sized, research-grade

Neurobeat Zero brings functionality similar to the Arduino R4 WiFi and a research-grade biopotential acquisition board into the tiny Adafruit Feather-compatible form factor, all while keeping the board electromagnetically quiet. If space is tight on your wearable or headset, it will still fit.

No USB, by design

USB drags mains-referenced ground into the analog front end. It's a maker tradition to hand-wave the problem away and ask users to run a laptop on battery power. We eliminated the problem at the source: no USB port, no boot button. Flash code and read serial over WiFi. Neurobeat Loop gives you HID, audio, or MIDI over WiFi.

Notice

The Neurobeat Zero is a research-grade biopotential acquisition platform for developers and researchers. It is not a medical device, not for medical use, and not a diagnostic tool. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition, and has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA or any regulatory body for clinical or diagnostic purposes.

Pricing

Model	Channels	Price
Neurobeat Zero 4-ch	4	$299
Neurobeat Zero 8-ch Most popular	8	$349
Neurobeat Zero 16-ch	16	$449

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Specifications

Biopotential ADC: Texas Instruments ADS1299 / ADS1299-4
ADC resolution: 24-bit
Channels: 4, 8, or 16
Max sample rate: 16 kSPS
Input-referred noise: ~1 µVpp
Programmable gain: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24
User MCU: Renesas RA4M1, 48 MHz, 256 kB Flash, 32 kB SRAM (Arduino-programmable)
Wireless/DSP engine: ESP32-S3 "Neurobeat Engine" (proprietary; not user-programmable)
WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz
Antenna: External U.FL (MHF3)
USB: None exposed on the board
Power input: 2S LiPo (7.4 V nominal; 6.4–8.4 V), not USB-powered
On-board charger: None
Deep-sleep standby: ~6 months on a 600 mAh 2S LiPo
Board dimensions: 0.9" × 2.0", 0.1" corner holes
Weight: ~6.3 g (board only)
Form factor: Adafruit Feather
Battery connector: JST PH2 (RC-car polarity)
Operating temperature: 0–50 °C
Compliance: ISED module cert; board-level FCC planned; no RoHS

What you’ll also need

The bare board ships with the electrode header pre-soldered, a loose pair of unsoldered Feather headers, a JST → PH2 battery-adapter cable, a WiFi U.FL/MHF3 antenna, and leaflets. Not included: a 2S LiPo battery, a charger, a USB cable (the Zero has no USB), or electrodes.

To start recording, you’ll need to add:

A 2-cell (7.4 V) LiPo battery and charger
Electrodes: gold cups with conductive paste, or active sensors with the appropriate adapters

Ready to dig in?

The docs cover networking, OTA, the on-device stream/file format, and the anti-bricking story.

Open Neurobeat Zero docs

Frequently asked questions

What sets the Zero apart from other biopotential boards?: Most biopotential boards stream raw data to a PC for processing. Zero runs your code on-device, Arduino-programmable with no PC in the loop. It has no USB port (a noise and safety decision), fits the Adafruit Feather standard, and runs on battery. Developers who want a ready-made starting point can also browse and deploy apps from the Neurobeat App Store.
Is this a medical device?: No. The Neurobeat Zero is a research-grade platform for developers and researchers, not a medical device or diagnostic tool. It hasn't been evaluated or approved by the FDA or any regulatory body for clinical or diagnostic use.
What signals can it record?: The Zero is designed for biopotential acquisition in a referential montage. Other signal types are electrically compatible with the hardware, but they are not tested, supported, or intended for use.
Is the code open source?: Partially. The Renesas RA4M1 is the only user-programmable MCU, using the standard Arduino IDE/PlatformIO toolchain, so your application code is open to you. The ESP32-S3 "Neurobeat Engine" that handles WiFi and signal processing is proprietary and not user-programmable.
Does it support WiFi and Bluetooth?: WiFi only: 802.11 b/g/n at 2.4 GHz via an external U.FL antenna. The Neurobeat Zero does not support Bluetooth (BLE), Thread, or Zigbee.
What software is it compatible with?: You write application code in the Arduino IDE or PlatformIO via the Neurobeat Boards Manager. The device streams to BrainFlow and exports to common formats for tools like EEGLAB; LSL support is planned but not yet available.
What are the apps and how do I install them?: Write your own applications in the Arduino IDE and push them to the board, for full control end to end. The Neurobeat App Store also has ready-to-deploy signal-processing and research apps; install any with one click. Installed apps update automatically.
What is the Neurobeat Loop?: The Neurobeat Loop is a companion board, included in the Bundle, that provides the physical USB/serial/HID path the Zero itself omits. It presents as a composite USB device (audio input, keyboard/mouse/joystick, a virtual serial port, and MIDI), connecting over your computer's USB with no WiFi of its own.
What's in the box / what else do I need?: The bare board ships with the electrode header pre-soldered, a loose pair of unsoldered Feather headers, a JST to PH2 battery-adapter cable, a WiFi antenna, and leaflets. Not included: a 2S LiPo battery and charger, a USB cable (the Zero has no USB), or electrodes; you'll need to add a battery and electrodes to start recording.
How does data privacy work?: By default the Zero processes signals on-device and doesn't store recordings; data reaches your browser via TLS through Neurobeat's MQTT broker, for which Neurobeat acts as a data processor under a Data Processing Agreement. Biopotential data is special category data under GDPR Article 9, so as the deployer you control consent and own what you store.
What safety protections does the board have?: The board includes reverse-polarity battery protection and diode-protected biopotential inputs to guard against human-level spikes, plus an EN pin that can power it down. Being battery-only with no exposed USB is itself a safety choice: the analog front end is never tied to mains-referenced power during a session. On certification: the WiFi module carries ISED certification, board-level FCC is planned but not yet complete, and RoHS isn't pursued.