title: Thought-based row-column scanning communication board for individuals with cerebral palsy.
abstract: Impairment of an individual's ability to communicate is a major hurdle for active participation in education and social life. A lot of individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have normal intelligence, however, due to their inability to communicate, they fall behind. Non-invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been proposed as potential assistive devices for individuals with CP. BCIs translate brain signals directly into action. Motor activity is no longer required. However, translation of EEG signals may be unreliable and requires months of training. Moreover, individuals with CP may exhibit high levels of spontaneous and uncontrolled movement, which has a large impact on EEG signal quality and results in incorrect translations. We introduce a novel thought-based row-column scanning communication board that was developed following user-centered design principles. Key features include an automatic online artifact reduction method and an evidence accumulation procedure for decision making. The latter allows robust decision making with unreliable BCI input. Fourteen users with CP participated in a supporting online study and helped to evaluate the performance of the developed system. Users were asked to select target items with the row-column scanning communication board. The results suggest that seven among eleven remaining users performed better than chance and were consequently able to communicate by using the developed system. Three users were excluded because of insufficient EEG signal quality. These results are very encouraging and represent a good foundation for the development of real-world BCI-based communication devices for users with CP.
authors: Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria; BioTechMed, Graz, Austria; Rehabilitation center Judendorf-Straßengel, Judendorf-Straßengel, Austria. Electronic address: reinhold.scherer@tugraz.at.
authors: Reinhold
authors: R
authors: Scherer
authors: Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria; BioTechMed, Graz, Austria.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Billinger
authors: Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria; BioTechMed, Graz, Austria.
authors: Johanna
authors: J
authors: Wagner
authors: Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria; BioTechMed, Graz, Austria.
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Schwarz
authors: Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors: Dirk Tassilo
authors: DT
authors: Hettich
authors: Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors: Elaina
authors: E
authors: Bolinger
authors: Avapace, Asociación Valenciana de Ayuda a la Parálisis Cerebral, Valencia, Spain.
authors: Mariano
authors: M
authors: Lloria Garcia
authors: Avapace, Asociación Valenciana de Ayuda a la Parálisis Cerebral, Valencia, Spain.
authors: Juan
authors: J
authors: Navarro
authors: Institute for Knowledge Discovery, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria; BioTechMed, Graz, Austria.
authors: Gernot
authors: G
authors: Müller-Putz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D062207:Brain-Computer Interfaces; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000066530:Neurological Rehabilitation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Assistive technology; Brain; Cerebral palsy; Communication board; Computer interface; Electroencephalogram; Human-computer interaction; Sensory motor rhythm