Group 250
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BCI Hypertrainer
This group's goal is to give the user of the device the ability to control a cursor (adaptable to many other things, but currently a cursor) by merely thinking.
Members
From left to right:
- Nicholas Mairs
- Scott Hofmeister
- Dr. Schroeder (Advisor)
- James Cosmano
- Andrew Locken
Keywords
- Brain-Computer Interface, Hypertrainer, BIODATA, EEG, Skewness, Kurtosis, RMS Power, Form Factor, LabVIEW, MATLAB
Abstract
Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is a fairly new field of research that has experienced massive growth within the last ten years. One of the first major projects was headed by Dr. J. Vidal at UCLA, who led the first successful attempt at constructing a BCI. Other research groups from companies and universities have done their own work on the subject. In 1999, there was a seminar in New York on BCI technology with 22 groups presenting their work.
Of all the ways to monitor brain functions, an electroencephalogram (EEG) is the easiest way to see the direct activity of the brain. Most groups differ in the ways the EEG data can be analyzed and interpreted. Some groups focus on frequency events known as mu and beta rhythms. Others focus on events in the time domain like voltage changes. Here at North Dakota State University (NDSU), groups in the past have been working with the Root Mean Square (RMS) power of the signal, a time domain measurement.
In the past, groups at NDSU have researched the “pretraining” and “training” phases of BCI technology. The pretraining phase refers to how the electrodes and software acquire information from the user’s brain. The “training” phase refers to the user and computer interacting with each other, and learning how to work with each other to complete tasks.
Our group is focused on what we call the hypertraining aspect of the BCI interface. Hypertraining hasn’t been explored at NDSU in the past, but the term refers to how the users have the power to affect the program in a way to improve the results. This way, the user can teach him/herself to use the BCI and can alter the training process to their preferences. By being able to change the way the BCI system interacts with the user, they can adjust it to work better for their needs. This aspect of hypertraining could be a very powerful tool to further the study of the brain-computer interface.
Block Diagram
This is the simplest block diagram that describes the BCI Hypertrainer. For more in-depth block diagrams check the Final Tech Report to see the nuances of the BCI Hypertrainer.
Documentation
- Requirements Capture
- Options Considered
- Users Manual
- Final Tech Report
- NSF report (Coming soon)
BCI Hypertrainer Study
We finished up the testing. Results were positive! We'll try posting some of our data and info later...
Test Subjects
- Tristan Kendall
Testimonial - "After some practice, I was able to control the cursor through concentrated thinking. Unfortunately, after the electrodes were removed from my head, I didn't retain the ability. Perhaps making this wireless or electrode-less is worth some future senior design team's efforts? I know it'd be cool to be able to change the TV channel through mere concentration."
How cool are we?
Watch as members of our team show our love for Psychology... PSYCH RULZ!!!
