scholarly journals Long Multi-Stage Training for a Motor-Impaired User in a BCI Competition

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Turi ◽  
Maureen Clerc ◽  
Théodore Papadopoulo

In a Mental Imagery Brain-Computer Interface the user has to perform a specific mental task that generates electroencephalography (EEG) components, which can be translated in commands to control a BCI system. The development of a high-performance MI-BCI requires a long training, lasting several weeks or months, in order to improve the ability of the user to manage his/her mental tasks. This works aims to present the design of a MI-BCI combining mental imaginary and cognitive tasks for a severely motor impaired user, involved in the BCI race of the Cybathlon event, a competition of people with severe motor disability. In the BCI-race, the user becomes a pilot in a virtual race game against up to three other pilots, in which each pilot has to control his/her virtual car by his/her mental tasks. We present all the procedures followed to realize an effective MI-BCI, from the user's first contact with a BCI technology to actually controlling a video-game through her EEG. We defined a multi-stage user-centered training protocol in order to successfully control a BCI, even in a stressful situation, such as that of a competition. We put a specific focus on the human aspects that influenced the long training phase of the system and the participation to the competition.

1991 ◽  
Vol 23 (4-6) ◽  
pp. 973-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Takahashi ◽  
S. Kyosai

A Multi-stage Reversing flow Bioreactor (MRB) was developed by the Public Works Research Institute in 1986. It utilizes the symbiotic interaction between anaerobic bacteria (sulfate reducing bacteria) and microaerobic bacteria (Beggiatoa=filamentous sulfur oxidizing bacteria) for self-granulated pellet formation. A MRB Pilot plant for domestic wastewater treatment (design capacity was 225 m3/day) was constructed in 1988. After several modifications of the initial design, stable pellet formation and high performance were achieved. This paper describes the results of the pilot plant operation.


Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 1587
Author(s):  
Duo Sheng ◽  
Hsueh-Ru Lin ◽  
Li Tai

High performance and complex system-on-chip (SoC) design require a throughput and stable timing monitor to reduce the impacts of uncertain timing and implement the dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) scheme for overall power reduction. This paper presents a multi-stage timing monitor, combining three timing-monitoring stages to achieve a high timing-monitoring resolution and a wide timing-monitoring range simultaneously. Additionally, because the proposed timing monitor has high immunity to the process–voltage–temperature (PVT) variation, it provides a more stable time-monitoring results. The time-monitoring resolution and range of the proposed timing monitor are 47 ps and 2.2 µs, respectively, and the maximum measurement error is 0.06%. Therefore, the proposed multi-stage timing monitor provides not only the timing information of the specified signals to maintain the functionality and performance of the SoC, but also makes the operation of the DVFS scheme more efficient and accurate in SoC design.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jifa Zhang ◽  
Yuan Jiang ◽  
Leah F Easterling ◽  
Anton Anster ◽  
Wanru Li ◽  
...  

Organosolv treatment is an efficient and environmentally friendly process to degrade lignin into small compounds. The capability of characterizing the individual compounds in the complex mixtures formed upon organosolv treatment...


Technologies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Luca Maule ◽  
Alessandro Luchetti ◽  
Matteo Zanetti ◽  
Paolo Tomasin ◽  
Marco Pertile ◽  
...  

Any severe motor disability is a condition that limits the ability to interact with the environment, even the domestic one, caused by the loss of control over one’s mobility. This work presents RoboEYE, a power wheelchair designed to allow users to move easily and autonomously within their homes. To achieve this goal, an innovative, cost-effective and user-friendly control system was designed, in which a non-invasive eye tracker, a monitor, and a 3D camera represent some of the core elements. RoboEYE integrates functionalities from the mobile robotics field into a standard power wheelchair, with the main advantage of providing the user with two driving options and comfortable navigation. The most intuitive and direct modality foresees the continuous control of frontal and angular wheelchair velocities by gazing at different areas of the monitor. The second, semi-autonomous modality allows navigation toward a selected point in the environment by just pointing and activating the wished destination while the system autonomously plans and follows the trajectory that brings the wheelchair to that point. The purpose of this work was to develop the control structure and driving interface designs of the aforementioned driving modalities taking into account also uncertainties in gaze detection and other sources of uncertainty related to the components to ensure user safety. Furthermore, the driving modalities, in particular the semi-autonomous one, were modeled and qualified through numerical simulations and experimental verification by testing volunteers, who are regular users of standard electric wheelchairs, to verify the efficiency, reliability and safety of the proposed system for domestic use. RoboEYE resulted suitable for environments with narrow passages wider than 1 m, which is comparable with a standard domestic door and due to its properties with large commercialization potential.


Author(s):  
Daniel Reska ◽  
Marek Kretowski

Abstract In this paper, we present a fast multi-stage image segmentation method that incorporates texture analysis into a level set-based active contour framework. This approach allows integrating multiple feature extraction methods and is not tied to any specific texture descriptors. Prior knowledge of the image patterns is also not required. The method starts with an initial feature extraction and selection, then performs a fast level set-based evolution process and ends with a final refinement stage that integrates a region-based model. The presented implementation employs a set of features based on Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrices, Gabor filters and structure tensors. The high performance of feature extraction and contour evolution stages is achieved with GPU acceleration. The method is validated on synthetic and natural images and confronted with results of the most similar among the accessible algorithms.


1940 ◽  
Vol 44 (358) ◽  
pp. 775-790
Author(s):  
K. Kollman

To-day all altitudes up to, and including, the stratosphere are within the scope of aviation. The engines must therefore be provided with highly developed superchargers so as to obtain high performance even at these altitudes. The single or multi-stage superchargers necessary to accomplish this become an integral part of the engine and exercise a distinct influence on its general construction.In many types of engine the supercharger is built on to the accessory drive end, that is the rear of the engine, so that the supercharger shaft lies co-axially or parallel with the crankshaft.


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