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How many directions can EEG control. If this is just up and down based on your level of concentration, it is relatively useless. However, if it maps all 6 dire

How many directions can EEG control. If this is just up and down based on your level of concentration, it is relatively useless. However, if it maps all 6 directions, it is pretty impressive.

btilly 13y ago
If you read the article, they have 2 signals, one corresponding to what you're imagining your right hand doing, one to what your left is doing. With this you have turn left, turn right, and both together is turn up. To really fly it you need another control for speed. (They just made the speed constant.)
- r0s 13y ago
  From what I know of existing EEG technology, the news here is left-right signaling, rather than simple on/off. Fascinating and cool as hell, but really limited for HCI applications.
DigitalJack 13y ago
Seems like a good candidate for machine learning. Train a neuralnet to recognize the EEG patterns that a given person wants to use to do a given operation. For example, this one was having the subject think about making a fist, but it could be that having them "will" the copter to move right could be more intuitive. And with the right machine learning/recognizer it might be feasible. This would be a serious amount of fun to work on.
- toomuchtodo 13y ago
  https://www.google.com/search?q=biofeedback+eeg+device https://www.google.com/search?q=biofeedback+eeg+device
JackpotDen 13y ago
the articles say 4 directions, but I'm going to assume that's because it's what they've been able to find clear enough patterns to map actions to. If they thought up a few more, ex "think about kicking your left leg" to move forwards, it could probably work. The leader talked about using wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs.
- bgalbraith 13y ago
  They are using a technique called motor imagery, which looks for small changes in synchrony in the sensory motor rhythms (SMR). SMR is currently only capable of reliably detecting left hand, right hand, and combined foot imagined movement. When they say "raising a hand" they are not finding a pattern of activity that relates to that gesture, they are simply detecting if a left vs right vs both motor action was imagined. As such, you cannot, unfortunately, simply think up another gesture to add.
damoncali 13y ago
I wonder how many "channels" can be worked out? 2? 20? 2,000? 2,000,000? Anyone have any background on this? It's fascinating to think of the complexity of a machine that could be controlled, when compared to the inherent limitations of pedals, wheels, switches and the like.
- breuderink 13y ago
  I have a background in these so-called brain computer interfaces. Typically, research know some of the properties of the EEG signal during specific tasks. Using signal processing and machine learning methods (and sometimes human training), these tasks can be recognized by 'decoding' the EEG. Some of these signals are spontaneous (realizing an error has been made), some are produced by voluntarily executing some mental task. Currently, the amount of these 'channels' that is available is limited by 1) the amount of detectors that a lab is willing to build, and 2) how many tasks the user can simultaneously execute — which is typically very low. If you really want a number, I would settle for four as the current state of the art. I have been working on a method to make problem 1) so easy it can be solved by laymen by just collecting examples of EEG during the task of interest. Now we are founding a startup to make this happen commercially :). PS: I think this technology does not lend itself well for analogies with channels or buttons. Buttons were invented for a physical world. Brain-computer interfaces lend itself to interact with signals there are /not/ available in normal interaction (i.e. relevance, errors, intended movements etc).
  - tocomment 13y ago
    Wow, so we might be less than 5 years away from pretty solid brain computer interfaces? That would be revolutionary. It would make things like Google glass a lot more viable.
    - breuderink 13y ago
      Google Glass and the Oculus Rift are very interesting for us, since it puts technology right on the spot where we need to acquire signals for brain-computer interfaces. FYI, there was a successful crowd-source campaign by InteraXon for an acceptable EEG headset [1]. This is the first headset that I can imagine being worn in public spaces. In five years we can potentially see brain-computer interfaces for consumers. I fear using the word 'solid' though, since I isn't a replacement for traditional input like the mouse or keyboard (that is what I would call solid). The biggest challenge I see is that we have to help consumers understand what it can do. I feel this technology is a game changer, but it is difficult to pinpoint what game is being changed. Therefore, it will at least take a while to get mainstream. [1] http://interaxon.ca http://interaxon.ca

How many directions can EEG control. If this is just up and down based on your level of concentration, it is relatively useless. However, if it maps all 6 directions, it is pretty impressive.

btilly 13y ago

If you read the article, they have 2 signals, one corresponding to what you're imagining your right hand doing, one to what your left is doing. With this you have turn left, turn right, and both together is turn up. To really fly it you need another control for speed. (They just made the speed constant.)

r0s 13y ago
From what I know of existing EEG technology, the news here is left-right signaling, rather than simple on/off. Fascinating and cool as hell, but really limited for HCI applications.

DigitalJack 13y ago

Seems like a good candidate for machine learning. Train a neuralnet to recognize the EEG patterns that a given person wants to use to do a given operation. For example, this one was having the subject think about making a fist, but it could be that having them "will" the copter to move right could be more intuitive. And with the right machine learning/recognizer it might be feasible. This would be a serious amount of fun to work on.

toomuchtodo 13y ago
https://www.google.com/search?q=biofeedback+eeg+device https://www.google.com/search?q=biofeedback+eeg+device

JackpotDen 13y ago

the articles say 4 directions, but I'm going to assume that's because it's what they've been able to find clear enough patterns to map actions to. If they thought up a few more, ex "think about kicking your left leg" to move forwards, it could probably work. The leader talked about using wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs.

bgalbraith 13y ago
They are using a technique called motor imagery, which looks for small changes in synchrony in the sensory motor rhythms (SMR). SMR is currently only capable of reliably detecting left hand, right hand, and combined foot imagined movement. When they say "raising a hand" they are not finding a pattern of activity that relates to that gesture, they are simply detecting if a left vs right vs both motor action was imagined. As such, you cannot, unfortunately, simply think up another gesture to add.

damoncali 13y ago

I wonder how many "channels" can be worked out? 2? 20? 2,000? 2,000,000? Anyone have any background on this? It's fascinating to think of the complexity of a machine that could be controlled, when compared to the inherent limitations of pedals, wheels, switches and the like.

breuderink 13y ago
I have a background in these so-called brain computer interfaces. Typically, research know some of the properties of the EEG signal during specific tasks. Using signal processing and machine learning methods (and sometimes human training), these tasks can be recognized by 'decoding' the EEG. Some of these signals are spontaneous (realizing an error has been made), some are produced by voluntarily executing some mental task. Currently, the amount of these 'channels' that is available is limited by 1) the amount of detectors that a lab is willing to build, and 2) how many tasks the user can simultaneously execute — which is typically very low. If you really want a number, I would settle for four as the current state of the art. I have been working on a method to make problem 1) so easy it can be solved by laymen by just collecting examples of EEG during the task of interest. Now we are founding a startup to make this happen commercially :). PS: I think this technology does not lend itself well for analogies with channels or buttons. Buttons were invented for a physical world. Brain-computer interfaces lend itself to interact with signals there are /not/ available in normal interaction (i.e. relevance, errors, intended movements etc).
- tocomment 13y ago
  Wow, so we might be less than 5 years away from pretty solid brain computer interfaces? That would be revolutionary. It would make things like Google glass a lot more viable.
  - breuderink 13y ago
    Google Glass and the Oculus Rift are very interesting for us, since it puts technology right on the spot where we need to acquire signals for brain-computer interfaces. FYI, there was a successful crowd-source campaign by InteraXon for an acceptable EEG headset [1]. This is the first headset that I can imagine being worn in public spaces. In five years we can potentially see brain-computer interfaces for consumers. I fear using the word 'solid' though, since I isn't a replacement for traditional input like the mouse or keyboard (that is what I would call solid). The biggest challenge I see is that we have to help consumers understand what it can do. I feel this technology is a game changer, but it is difficult to pinpoint what game is being changed. Therefore, it will at least take a while to get mainstream. [1] http://interaxon.ca http://interaxon.ca