BNCI Horizon 2020: towards a roadmap for the BCI community

Abstract

The brain-computer interface (BCI) field has grown dramatically over the past few years, but there are still no coordinated efforts to ensure efficient communication and collaboration among key stakeholders. The European Commission (EC) has recently renewed their efforts to establish such a coordination effort by funding a coordination and support action for the BCI community called 'BNCI Horizon 2020' after the 'Future BNCI' project. Major goals of this new project include developing a roadmap for the next decade and beyond, encouraging discussion and collaboration within the BCI community, fostering communication with the general public, and the foundation of an international BCI Society. We present a short overview of current and past EU-funded BCI projects and provide evidence of a growing research and industrial community. Efficient communication also entails the establishment of clear terminology, which is a major goal of BNCI Horizon 2020. To this end, we give a brief overview of current BCI-related terms and definitions. A major networking activity in the project was the BNCI Horizon 2020 Retreat in Hallstatt, Austria. Over 60 experts participated in this event to discuss the future of the BCI field in a series of plenary talks, targeted discussions, and parallel focus sessions. A follow-up event was the EU BCI Day at the 6th International Brain-Computer Interface Conference in Graz, Austria. This networking event included plenary talks by eight companies and representatives from all seven ongoing EU research projects, poster presentations, demos, and discussions. Another goal of BNCI Horizon 2020 is the foundation of an official BCI Society. In this article, we summarize the current status of this process. Finally, we present visions for future BCI applications developed within BNCI Horizon 2020 using input from external BCI experts as well. We identify common themes and conclude with six exemplary use cases.

The brain-computer interface researcher’s questionnaire: from research to application

“…types of devices that a BCI can control), each with their own range of target populations. A subdivision of five application scenarios was originally proposed by Wolpaw and Wolpaw in 2012 [3], and was extended with a sixth application scenario (research tool, see below) by the BNCI Horizon 2020 project [4]. In the classic application of a communication tool for locked-in patients, or for example in the case of BCI control of a wheelchair, the BCI replaces natural CNS output that is lost due to injury or disease.…”

Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Advanced Research Methods and Analytics (CARMA 2018)

“…The Human Brain Project 3 is ongoing as a H2020 FET Flagship Project which strives to accelerate the fields of neuroscience, computing and brain-related medicine, since 2013, with the duration of 10 years. On the side of the technical development, also the BCIs have been investigated, and the forecasts and scenarios have been roadmapped, confirming the expected broad spread and varying spectrum of the application scenarios where BCIs will be used (Brunner et al, 2015). Now it is the right time to base the project on this technology, due to the following technical reasons:…”

Artificial Neural Network Classification of Motor‐Related EEG: An Increase in Classification Accuracy by Reducing Signal Complexity

“…The BCIs are highly demanded in many fields of science and technology, including medicine, high technology, and industry [1][2][3][4]. The most striking examples of possible BCIs' application are rehabilitation of patients with cognitive and motor disabilities, assessment of consciousness, communication, mind-controlled exoskeletons, manipulators, robots and other complex technical devices [4][5][6], human education using BCI with biological feedback, and so on.…”