scholarly journals An open interface system for non-invasive brain-to-brain free communication between naive human participants

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Ingrid Renton ◽  
Jason B Mattingley ◽  
David R Painter
Keyword(s):  
Communication Systems ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Free Association ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Free Communication ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Human Participants

Free and open communication is fundamental to modern life. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which translate measurements of the user's brain activity into computer commands, present emerging forms of hands-free communication. BCI communication systems have long been used in clinical settings for patients with paralysis and other motor disorders, and yet have not been implemented for free communication between healthy, BCI-naive users. Here, in two studies, we developed and validated a high-performance non-invasive BCI communication system, and examined its feasibility for communication during free word association and unprompted free conversation. Our system, focusing on usability for free communication, produced information transfer rates sufficient and practical for free association and brain-to-brain conversation (~5.7 words/minute). Our findings suggest that performance appraisals for BCI systems should incorporate the free communication scenarios for which they are ultimately intended. To facilitate free and open communication in healthy users and patients, we have made our source code and data open access.

scholarly journals Optimising non-invasive brain-computer interface systems for free communication between naïve human participants

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela I. Renton ◽  
Jason B. Mattingley ◽  
David R. Painter
Keyword(s):  
Information Transfer ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Brain Computer Interface ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Computer Interface ◽  
Free Communication ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Communication Task

AbstractFree communication is one of the cornerstones of modern civilisation. While manual keyboards currently allow us to interface with computers and manifest our thoughts, a next frontier is communication without manual input. Brain-computer interface (BCI) spellers often achieve this by decoding patterns of neural activity as users attend to flickering keyboard displays. To date, the highest performing spellers report typing rates of ~10.00 words/minute. While impressive, these rates are typically calculated for experienced users repetitively typing single phrases. It is therefore not clear whether naïve users are able to achieve such high rates with the added cognitive load of genuine free communication, which involves continuously generating and spelling novel words and phrases. In two experiments, we developed an open-source, high-performance, non-invasive BCI speller and examined its feasibility for free communication. The BCI speller required users to focus their visual attention on a flickering keyboard display, thereby producing unique cortical activity patterns for each key, which were decoded using filter-bank canonical correlation analysis. In Experiment 1, we tested whether seventeen naïve users could maintain rapid typing during prompted free word association. We found that information transfer rates were indeed slower during this free communication task than during typing of a cued character sequence. In Experiment 2, we further evaluated the speller’s efficacy for free communication by developing a messaging interface, allowing users to engage in free conversation. The results showed that free communication was possible, but that information transfer was reduced by voluntary textual corrections and turn-taking during conversation. We evaluated a number of factors affecting the suitability of BCI spellers for free communication, and make specific recommendations for improving classification accuracy and usability. Overall, we found that developing a BCI speller for free communication requires a focus on usability over reduced character selection time, and as such, future performance appraisals should be based on genuine free communication scenarios.

scholarly journals Asynchronous non-invasive high-speed BCI speller with robust non-control state detection

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Nagel ◽  
Martin Spüler
Keyword(s):  
Information Transfer ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Fixed Time ◽  
Intentional Control ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Information Transfer Rate ◽  
State Detection ◽  
Control State

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) enable users to control a computer by using pure brain activity. Recent BCIs based on visual evoked potentials (VEPs) have shown to be suitable for high-speed communication. However, all recent high-speed BCIs are synchronous, which means that the system works with fixed time slots so that the user is not able to select a command at his own convenience, which poses a problem in real-world applications. In this paper, we present the first asynchronous high-speed BCI with robust distinction between intentional control (IC) and non-control (NC), with a nearly perfect NC state detection of only 0.075 erroneous classifications per minute. The resulting asynchronous speller achieved an average information transfer rate (ITR) of 122.7 bit/min using a 32 target matrix-keyboard. Since the method is based on random stimulation patterns it allows to use an arbitrary number of targets for any application purpose, which was shown by using an 55 target German QWERTZ-keyboard layout which allowed the participants to write an average of 16.1 (up to 30.7) correct case-sensitive letters per minute. As the presented system is the first asynchronous high-speed BCI speller with a robust non-control state detection, it is an important step for moving BCI applications out of the lab and into real-life.

scholarly journals An Analysis of the External Validity of EEG Spectral Power in an Uncontrolled Outdoor Environment during Default and Complex Neurocognitive States

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 330
Author(s):  
Dalton J. Edwards ◽  
Logan T. Trujillo
Keyword(s):  
External Validity ◽  
Spectral Power ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Outdoor Environment ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Brain State ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Eeg Spectral Power ◽  
Eeg Power ◽  
Human Participants

Traditionally, quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) studies collect data within controlled laboratory environments that limit the external validity of scientific conclusions. To probe these validity limits, we used a mobile EEG system to record electrophysiological signals from human participants while they were located within a controlled laboratory environment and an uncontrolled outdoor environment exhibiting several moderate background influences. Participants performed two tasks during these recordings, one engaging brain activity related to several complex cognitive functions (number sense, attention, memory, executive function) and the other engaging two default brain states. We computed EEG spectral power over three frequency bands (theta: 4–7 Hz, alpha: 8–13 Hz, low beta: 14–20 Hz) where EEG oscillatory activity is known to correlate with the neurocognitive states engaged by these tasks. Null hypothesis significance testing yielded significant EEG power effects typical of the neurocognitive states engaged by each task, but only a beta-band power difference between the two background recording environments during the default brain state. Bayesian analysis showed that the remaining environment null effects were unlikely to reflect measurement insensitivities. This overall pattern of results supports the external validity of laboratory EEG power findings for complex and default neurocognitive states engaged within moderately uncontrolled environments.

scholarly journals Preliminary Study of the Use of Root with Sedline® EEG Monitoring for Assessment of Anesthesia Depth in 6 Horses

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1050
Author(s):  
Olga Drewnowska ◽  
Bernard Turek ◽  
Barbara Lisowska ◽  
Charles E. Short
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Muscle Relaxation ◽  
Eeg Monitoring ◽  
Careful Monitoring ◽  
Spectral Edge Frequency ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Anesthesia Monitoring ◽  
Physiologic Parameters ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Anesthesia Depth

Management of equine anesthesia monitoring is still a challenge. Careful monitoring to provide guidelines for anesthesia depth assessment currently relies upon eye signs, cardiopulmonary responses, and the level of muscle relaxation. Electroencephalography, as a non-invasive brain activity monitor, may be used to complement the routinely monitored physiologic parameters. Six horses, undergoing various surgical procedures and anesthesia protocols, were monitored with the use of a Root with Sedline EEG monitor and a routine monitor of life parameters. The life parameters were compared to the changes on the EEG density spectral array observed live during anesthesia. During all procedures the level of awareness was monitored using the EEG, with higher frequency and power of waves indicating a higher level of awareness. It was evident from this that there were variations according to the type of procedure and the anesthetic protocol. Cerebral activity was elevated during painful moments of the surgery and recovery, requiring adjustments in anesthetic concentrations. Evaluation of changes in the spectral edge frequency (SEF) could show the periods when the patient is stabilized. EEG monitoring has the potential to be used in clinical anesthesiology of horses. It was shown that this system may be used in horses under general anesthesia but is currently less effective in a standing horse for diagnostic or minor procedures.

Functional Coatings for Damage Detection in Aerospace Structures

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-103
Author(s):  
Agathe Demay ◽  
Johnathan Hernandez ◽  
Perla Latorre ◽  
Remelisa Esteves ◽  
Seetha Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
Damage Detection ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Alumina Nanoparticles ◽  
Functional Coatings ◽  
Aerospace Structures ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Damage Sensing ◽  
Composite Substrate ◽  
Open Hole

The future of aerospace structures is highly dependent on the advancement of reliable and high-performance materials, such as composite materials and metals. Innovation in high resolution non-invasive evaluation of these materials is needed for their qualification and monitoring for structural integrity. Aluminum oxide (or α-alumina) nanoparticles present photoluminescent properties that allow stress and damage sensing via photoluminescence piezospectroscopy. This work describes how these nanoparticles are added into a polymer matrix to create functional coatings that monitor the damage of the underlying composite or metallic substrates. Different volume fractions of α-alumina nanoparticles in the piezospectroscopic coatings were studied for determining the sensitivity of the coatings and successful damage detection was demonstrated for an open-hole tension composite substrate as well as 2024 aluminum tensile substrates with a subsurface notch.

Ensemble-based data assimilation of volcanic aerosols using FALL3D+PDAF

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Mingari ◽  
Andrew Prata ◽  
Federica Pardini
Keyword(s):  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Volcanic Ash ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Column Height ◽  
Eruption Column ◽  
Operational Environment ◽  
Assimilation System

<p>Modelling atmospheric dispersion and deposition of volcanic ash is becoming increasingly valuable for understanding the potential impacts of explosive volcanic eruptions on infrastructures, air quality and aviation. The generation of high-resolution forecasts depends on the accuracy and reliability of the input data for models. Uncertainties in key parameters such as eruption column height injection, physical properties of particles or meteorological fields, represent a major source of error in forecasting airborne volcanic ash. The availability of nearly real time geostationary satellite observations with high spatial and temporal resolutions provides the opportunity to improve forecasts in an operational context. Data assimilation (DA) is one of the most effective ways to reduce the error associated with the forecasts through the incorporation of available observations into numerical models. Here we present a new implementation of an ensemble-based data assimilation system based on the coupling between the FALL3D dispersal model and the Parallel Data Assimilation Framework (PDAF). The implementation is based on the last version release of FALL3D (versions 8.x) tailored to the extreme-scale computing requirements, which has been redesigned and rewritten from scratch in the framework of the EU Center of Excellence for Exascale in Solid Earth (ChEESE). The proposed methodology can be efficiently implemented in an operational environment by exploiting high-performance computing (HPC) resources. The FALL3D+PDAF system can be run in parallel and supports online-coupled DA, which allows an efficient information transfer through parallel communication. Satellite-retrieved data from recent volcanic eruptions were considered as input observations for the assimilation system.</p>

Error-related Persistence of Motor Activity in Resting-state Networks

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1883-1901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolò F. Bernardi ◽  
Floris T. Van Vugt ◽  
Ricardo Ruy Valle-Mena ◽  
Shahabeddin Vahdat ◽  
David J. Ostry
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Movement Training ◽  
Movement Error ◽  
Human Participants

The relationship between neural activation during movement training and the plastic changes that survive beyond movement execution is not well understood. Here we ask whether the changes in resting-state functional connectivity observed following motor learning overlap with the brain networks that track movement error during training. Human participants learned to trace an arched trajectory using a computer mouse in an MRI scanner. Motor performance was quantified on each trial as the maximum distance from the prescribed arc. During learning, two brain networks were observed, one showing increased activations for larger movement error, comprising the cerebellum, parietal, visual, somatosensory, and cortical motor areas, and the other being more activated for movements with lower error, comprising the ventral putamen and the OFC. After learning, changes in brain connectivity at rest were found predominantly in areas that had shown increased activation for larger error during task, specifically the cerebellum and its connections with motor, visual, and somatosensory cortex. The findings indicate that, although both errors and accurate movements are important during the active stage of motor learning, the changes in brain activity observed at rest primarily reflect networks that process errors. This suggests that error-related networks are represented in the initial stages of motor memory formation.

Performance on an Adaptive Automated Team Tracking Task with Human and Computer Teammates

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 551-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Krahl ◽  
Mark W. Scerbo
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Systems ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
Tracking Task ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Performance Skills ◽  
Group Assignment ◽  
Pursuit Tracking ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
High Level

The present study examined team performance on an adaptive pursuit tracking task with human-human and human-computer teams. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three team conditions where their partner was either a computer novice, computer expert, or human. Participants began the experiment with control over either the horizontal or vertical axis, but had the option of taking control of their teammate's axis if they achieved superior performance on the previous trial. A control condition was also run where a single participant controlled both axes. Performance was assessed by RMSE scores over 100 trials. The results showed that performance along the horizontal axis improved over the session regardless of the experimental condition, but the degree of improvement was dependent upon group assignment. Individuals working alone or paired with an expert computer maintained a high level of performance throughout the experiment. Those paired with a computer-novice or another human performed poorly initially, but eventually reached the level of those in the other conditions. The results showed that team training can be as effective as individual training, but that the quality of training is moderated by the skill level of one's teammate. Moreover, these findings suggest that task partitioning of high performance skills between a human and a computer is not only possible but may be considered a viable option in the design of adaptive systems.

scholarly journals EFFECT OF 10 HZ BINAURAL BEAT BRAIN ACTIVITY AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A SIMPLE SENSORIMOTOR REACTION AND THE REACTION OF CHOICE FOR MEN AND WOMEN

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-80
Author(s):  
A. Shestak ◽  
N. Filimonova
Keyword(s):  
Creative Thinking ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Performance Tasks ◽  
Specific Data ◽  
Binaural Beats ◽  
Activation System ◽  
Sensorimotor Reaction ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Binaural Sound

As a result of researches of 20 persons, aged 18-23 years, it was found that men under the influence of binaural beats 10 Hz, compared with binaural sound when testing a simple sensorimotor reaction was found greater activity in the frontal, central and occipital areas of both hemispheres and right temporal and parietal areas, which may be indicative about activation system imaginative and creative thinking, the need for which was absent for the implementation of a simple sensorimotor reaction. Differences in time as a simple sensorimotor reaction and choice reaction was observed. When testing, choice reaction was detected influence of binaural beats 10 Hz on the brain activity of men. In women under the influence of binaural beats 10 Hz were significantly higher speeds as a simple sensorimotor reaction and choice reaction and significantly smaller spread of latent periods of simple sensorimotor reaction. This was above the hemispheric interaction suppressed irrelevant zone and the high activity of the ascending process of attention that has provided highly specific data processing and high performance tasks compared with binaural sound.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document