Towards Practical Brain Computer Interfaces

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are devices that enable people to communicate via thought alone. Brain signals can be directly translated into messages or commands. Until recently, these devices were used primarily to help people who could not move. However, BCIs are now becoming practical tools for a wide variety of people, in many different situations. What will BCIs in the future be like? Who will use them, and why? This book, written by many of the top BCI researchers and developers, reviews the latest progress in the different components of BCIs. Chapters also discuss practical issues in an emerging BCI enabled community. The book is intended both for professionals and for interested laypeople who are not experts in BCI research.

What Is BCI2000? BCI2000 is a general-purpose software platform for brain–computer interface (BCI) research. It can also be used for a wide variety of data acquisition, stimulus p- sentation, and brain monitoring applications. BCI2000 has been in development since 2000 in a project led by the Brain–Computer Interface R&D Program at the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health in Albany, New York, USA, with substantial contributions by the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Tübingen, Germany. In addition, many laboratories around the world, most notably the BrainLab at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, and Fondazione Santa Lucia in Rome, Italy, have also played an important role in the project’s development. Mission The mission of the BCI2000 project is to facilitate research and the development of applications in all areas that depend on real-time acquisition, processing, and feedback of biosignals. Vision Our vision is that BCI2000 will become a widely used software tool for diverse areas of research and development.

This book presents a world-class collection of Brain-Computer Music Interfacing (BCMI) tools. The text focuses on how these tools enable the extraction of meaningful control information from brain signals, and discusses how to design effective generative music techniques that respond to this information. Features: reviews important techniques for hands-free interaction with computers, including event-related potentials with P300 waves; explores questions of semiotic brain-computer interfacing (BCI), and the use of machine learning to dig into relationships among music and emotions; offers tutorials on signal extraction, brain electric fields, passive BCI, and applications for genetic algorithms, along with historical surveys; describes how BCMI research advocates the importance of better scientific understanding of the brain for its potential impact on musical creativity; presents broad coverage of this emerging, interdisciplinary area, from hard-core EEG analysis to practical musical applications.

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) sounds comparable to plugging a USB cable into a human brain with a laptop and accessing brain information. However, it is not as simple as it sounds. BCI is a multidisciplinary discipline with an exponential progress parallel to and with Artificial Intelligence for the past decades. Initially started with the Electroencephalography (EEG) analysis, BCI offers practical applications for cortical physiology today. Although BCI outcomes are more perceptible in medicine such as cognitive assessment, neurofeedback, and neuroprosthetic implants, it opens up amazing avenues for the business community through machine learning and robotics. Thought-to-text is one example of a hot topic in BCI. So, it is quite predictable to see BCI for individual usage given the current affordability of platforms for less technologically savvy users as well as BCI integrated within office automation productivity tools. The current trend is towards vulgarization for businesses benefits, by extension to the society at large. Thus, the interest in preparing a book on BCI. This book aims to compile and disseminate the latest research findings and best practices on how BCI is expanding the frontiers of knowledge in clinical practices, on the brain itself, and the underlying technologies.

Brain-Computer Interfacing, Volume 168, not only gives readers a clear understanding of what BCI science is currently offering, but also describes future expectations for restoring lost brain function in patients. In-depth technological chapters are aimed at those interested in BCI technologies and the nature of brain signals, while more comprehensive summaries are provided in the more applied chapters. Readers will be able to grasp BCI concepts, understand what needs the technologies can meet, and provide an informed opinion on BCI science. Explores how many different causes of disability have similar functional consequences (loss of mobility, communication etc.) Addresses how BCI can be of use Presents a multidisciplinary review of BCI technologies and the opportunities they provide for people in need of a new kind of prosthetic Offers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary review of BCI for researchers in neuroscience and traumatic brain injury that is also ideal for clinicians in neurology and neurosurgery

Brain–Computer Interfaces Handbook: Technological and Theoretical Advances provides a tutorial and an overview of the rich and multi-faceted world of Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCIs). The authors supply readers with a contemporary presentation of fundamentals, theories, and diverse applications of BCI, creating a valuable resource for anyone involved with the improvement of people’s lives by replacing, restoring, improving, supplementing or enhancing natural output from the central nervous system. It is a useful guide for readers interested in understanding how neural bases for cognitive and sensory functions, such as seeing, hearing, and remembering, relate to real-world technologies. More precisely, this handbook details clinical, therapeutic and human-computer interfaces applications of BCI and various aspects of human cognition and behavior such as perception, affect, and action. It overviews the different methods and techniques used in acquiring and pre-processing brain signals, extracting features, and classifying users’ mental states and intentions. Various theories, models, and empirical findings regarding the ways in which the human brain interfaces with external systems and environments using BCI are also explored. The handbook concludes by engaging ethical considerations, open questions, and challenges that continue to face brain–computer interface research. Features an in-depth look at the different methods and techniques used in acquiring and pre-processing brain signals, extracting features, and classifying the user's intention Covers various theories, models, and empirical findings regarding ways in which the human brain can interface with the systems or external environments Presents applications of BCI technology to understand various aspects of human cognition and behavior such as perception, affect, action, and more Includes clinical trials and individual case studies of the experimental therapeutic applications of BCI Provides human factors and human-computer interface concerns in the design, development, and evaluation of BCIs Overall, this handbook provides a synopsis of key technological and theoretical advances that are directly applicable to brain–computer interfacing technologies and can be readily understood and applied by individuals with no formal training in BCI research and development.

For generations, humans have fantasized about the ability to create devices that can see into a person’s mind and thoughts, or to communicate and interact with machines through thought alone. Such ideas have long captured the imagination of humankind in the form of ancient myths and modern science fiction stories. Recent advances in cognitive neuroscience and brain imaging technologies have started to turn these myths into a reality, and are providing us with the ability to interface directly with the human brain. This ability is made possible through the use of sensors that monitor physical processes within the brain which correspond with certain forms of thought. Brain-Computer Interfaces: Applying our Minds to Human-Computer Interaction broadly surveys research in the Brain-Computer Interface domain. More specifically, each chapter articulates some of the challenges and opportunities for using brain sensing in Human-Computer Interaction work, as well as applying Human-Computer Interaction solutions to brain sensing work. For researchers with little or no expertise in neuroscience or brain sensing, the book provides background information to equip them to not only appreciate the state-of-the-art, but also ideally to engage in novel research. For expert Brain-Computer Interface researchers, the book introduces ideas that can help in the quest to interpret intentional brain control and develop the ultimate input device. It challenges researchers to further explore passive brain sensing to evaluate interfaces and feed into adaptive computing systems. Most importantly, the book will connect multiple communities allowing research to leverage their work and expertise and blaze into the future.

Brain-Computer Interfaces: Lab Experiments to Real-World Applications, the latest volume in the Progress in Brain Research series, focuses on new trends and developments. This established international series examines major areas of basic and clinical research within the neurosciences, as well as popular and emerging subfields. Explores new trends and developments in brain research Enhances the literature of neuroscience by further expanding this established, ongoing international series Examines major areas of basic and clinical research within the field