Wave Detector

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Signal Processing

Neuro Feature Tracker

Local

Triggered

XAML Signal Plot

Standard EventIDE license

In this article:

Introduction
Key Features
Properties
Practical Use
Notes

Introduction

The Wave Detector element is designed to identify oscillatory wave activity in a continuous real-time input signal. It operates by monitoring a specified frequency range (region of interest, ROI) and calculating a wave score that quantifies the strength of rhythmic activity within that band. When this score exceeds a configurable detection threshold, the element flags a successful wave detection, which can trigger other events or be recorded for later analysis.

The detection process uses a sliding analysis window whose length is expressed in multiples of the central frequency’s period. Signal normalization and a span factor can be adjusted to improve detection robustness under varying noise conditions. The Wave Detector also offers rich visualization through a live XAML signal plot, showing both the raw/normalized data and detection events in real time.

Key Features

Real-time wave detection – Monitors incoming signals continuously and detects target waveforms with minimal latency.
Customizable detection parameters – Adjust frequency range of interest (ROI), threshold level, detection window length, and span factor to match specific research needs.
Integrated signal visualization – Displays a live, high-resolution plot of the input signal with wave detection overlays, making it easy to monitor performance during the experiment.
Statistical feedback – Provides session statistics, such as wave detection rates, to evaluate signal quality over time.
Runtime control – Thresholds and other parameters can be fine-tuned during the experiment without stopping the session.
Trigger outputs – Detection events can trigger other experiment elements, mark time points for logging, or drive real-time stimulation protocols.

Properties

Name	Description	Property Class	Type
Input Signal
Input Channel	Defines the channel in the EventIDE signal pool that will provide data for the element	Design	Int32
Signal Source
Sampling Rate	Defines the sampling rate of the signal (samples per second)	Design	Int32
Signal Normalization	Defines the normalization procedure that is automatically applied to the signal before the analysis	Design	enSign..
Wave Detection
Plotting Window Length	Defines the length of plotting window for the input signal	Design	Double
Detection Window Length	Defines the length of wave detection window in periods of the central frequency of the target wave	Design	Double
Span Factor	Defines the Span Factor for the wave detector	Design	Double
Wave Frequency ROI	Defines the wave frequency ROI in Hz	Design	Int32
Frequency ROI	Defines the frequency range of interest for phase locking and PSD stats on the Session Statistics plot	General	clRange
Wave Detection Threshold	Defines the minimal threshold for the wave detection in the 0 to 1 range	General	Double
Runtime Status
XAML Signal Plot	Returns a live XAML signal plot with the signal data and results of wave detection	General	UIElem..
Is Wave	Returns whether a wave is detected in the current signal	Status	Boolean
Wave Score	Returns a normalized "wave" score of the current signal	Status	Double
Triggering Time	Returns a local event time (in ms) of the last successful detection	Status	clTime
Plotting
Plot Type	Defines the type of the generated signal plot	Design	Int32
Time Units	Defines the type of the generated signal plot	Design	Int32
Y-axis Scaling	Defines the scaling mode for the Y axis across shown channels	Design	Int32
Plot Title	Defines the title of the generated signal plot	General	String
Plot Theme	Defines a visual theme of the generated signal plot	General	Int32
Line Thickness	Defines the thickness of the data line on the generated signal plot	General	Int32
Line Color	Defines the color of the data line on the generated signal plot	General	stColor
Font Size	Defines the font size for plot labels	General	Double
Show Axis Bands	Defines whether the axis bands are shown on the plot area	General	Boolean
Rendering Size	Defines the size of the generated plot in pixels (affects quality and performance; also used for exported image resolution)	Design	clSize
Sync Marker Color	Defines a color of the custom synchronization markers	General	stColor
Sync Marker Width	Defines the width of the custom synchronization markers on the X axis	General	Double
Show Threshold Slider	—	General	Boolean
Threshold Value	—	General	Double
Triggering
Is Triggered	Indicates that a wave was detected at least once	General	Boolean
Control
Is Enabled	If set to false the element is completely omitted when the experiment is run	Design	Boolean
Title	Title of the element	Design	String

Practical Use

Technique 1 – Threshold-Based Stimulation Triggering

Connect the Wave Detector to the desired input channel from the signal pool.
Define the Wave Frequency ROI to match your target oscillation band (e.g., 8–12 Hz for alpha waves).
Adjust Detection Window Length and Wave Detection Threshold for optimal sensitivity.
Use the Is Triggered property or a triggered snippet to launch a stimulus immediately after detection.

Technique 2 – Monitoring Oscillatory State During a Task

Enable XAML Signal Plot for live visual feedback.
Use Wave Score as a continuous measure of rhythmicity.
Log both the Wave Score and Triggering Time for offline correlation with behavioral data.

Notes

A shorter detection window improves responsiveness but may increase false positives in noisy data.
Use Signal Normalization to handle amplitude variability between sessions or subjects.
The Frequency ROI property is also used in Session Statistics to display PSD and phase-locking metrics.
Rendering size affects export quality; higher values improve resolution but may slow down plotting.