Multi-command Chest Tactile Brain Computer Interface for Small Vehicle Robot Navigation

TL;DR

This study demonstrates a tactile brain computer interface using five chest stimuli locations to control small vehicle robots, validated through online experiments and improved offline classification.

Contribution

It introduces a novel chest-based tactile BCI paradigm for robotic navigation, with validation and classification enhancements.

Findings

Successful online validation with five subjects

Information-transfer rates support practical feasibility

Offline classification improved with linear SVM

Abstract

The presented study explores the extent to which tactile stimuli delivered to five chest positions of a healthy user can serve as a platform for a brain computer interface (BCI) that could be used in an interactive application such as robotic vehicle operation. The five chest locations are used to evoke tactile brain potential responses, thus defining a tactile brain computer interface (tBCI). Experimental results with five subjects performing online tBCI provide a validation of the chest location tBCI paradigm, while the feasibility of the concept is illuminated through information-transfer rates. Additionally an offline classification improvement with a linear SVM classifier is presented through the case study.