Single-trial detection of motor related potentials for use in a direct brain interface for persons with severe disabilities

这项研究的最终目标是创造一种先进的个人控制界面，使高度残疾的人能够直接从大脑中记录信号来控制机械臂或计算机等设备。这种脑机接口（BCI）将使残疾程度最高的人也能使用现有的和新兴的技术辅助工具，从而提高他们的独立性，提高生活质量，降低社会成本。脑机接口的概念是在过去二十年中出现的。在我们的方法中，当用户想要控制设备时，通过有意识地改变他或她的认知状态来产生控制信号。认知状态的变化是通过使用者头皮上特定的电活动模式来测量的。BCI系统监测用户的大脑信号，检测控制信号的存在，决定哪一个控制信号是由用户产生的，然后将控制指令转发到被控制的设备上。迄今为止，这种BCI开关方法的工作已经产生了可喜的结果。我们的研究结果表明，高度脊髓损伤的个体和健全的人可以控制这种转换，尽管还有许多悬而未决的问题需要解决。我们将研究通过新的信号处理和开关定制方法来提高开关激活精度的方法，扩展我们的开关的带宽和功能，并探索减少干扰性能的污染信号的方法。

The ultimate goal of this research is to create an advanced personal control interface that will allow an individual with a high-level disability to control a device such as a robotic arm or a computer with signals recorded directly from their brain. This type of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) will allow individuals with even the highest levels of disability to use existing and emerging technical aids, thus increasing their independence and leading to an improved quality of life and reduced social costs.   The concept of a BCI has emerged over the last two decades. In our approach, a user generates a control signal by consciously changing his or her cognitive state when he or she wants to control the device. The change in cognitive state is measured as a specific pattern in electrical activity on the user's scalp. The BCI system monitors the user's brain signals, detects the presence of control signals, decides which control signal was generated by the user and then forwards the control instruction on to the device being controlled.     Work to date on this approach to a BCI switch has produced promising results. Our findings suggest that individuals with high-level spinal-cord injuries and able-bodied people can control the switch, although there are many outstanding issues that need to be addressed. We will study methods to improve the switch activation accuracy through new signal processing and switch customization methods, expand the bandwidth and functionality of our switch, and explore methods to reduce contaminating signals that interfere with the performance.