title: Performances evaluation and optimization of brain computer interface systems in a copy spelling task.
abstract: The evaluation of the performances of brain-computer interface (BCI) systems could be difficult as a standard procedure does not exist. In fact, every research team creates its own experimental protocol (different input signals, different trial structure, different output devices, etc.) and this makes systems comparison difficult. Moreover, the great question is whether these experiments can be extrapolated to real world applications or not. To overcome some intrinsic limitations of the most used criteria a new efficiency indicator will be described and used. Its main advantages are that it can predict with a high accuracy the performances of a whole system, a fact that can be used to successfully improve its behavior. Finally, simulations were performed to illustrate that the best system is built by tuning the transducer (TR) and the control interface (CI), which are the two main components of a BCI system, so that the best TR and the best CI do not exist but just the best combination of them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, "Tor Vergata" University, 00133 Rome, Italy. luigi.bianchi@uniroma2.it
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Lucia Rita
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Quitadamo
authors.forename: Girolamo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garreffa
authors.forename: Gian Carlo
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Cardarilli
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Marciani
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008328:Man-Machine Systems; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014584:User-Computer Interface