Multi-Brain BCI: Characteristics and Social Interactions

Abstract

We investigate various forms of face-to-face and multiparty interactions in the context of potential brain-computer interface interactions (BCI). BCI has been employed in clinical applications but more recently also in domestic and game and entertainment applications. This paper focusses on multi-party game applications. That is, BCI game applications that allow multiple users and different BCI paradigms to get a cooperative or competitive task done. Our observations are quite preliminary and not yet supported by experimental research. Nevertheless we think we have put forward steps to structure future BCI game research and to make connections with neuro-scientific social interaction research.

Progress in Brain Computer Interface: Challenges and Opportunities

“…Studies have demonstrated that a user can fully operate video games by SSVEP-BCI (van Vliet et al, 2012 ; Filiz and Arslan, 2020 ). Other studies have proposed how multiple users can participate in a collaborative game, in which joint decision making is required to control the gaming environment (Nijholt and Poel, 2016 ; Sekhavat, 2020 ). Another study previously suggested the aggregation of information from two intelligence analysts' brain signals may lead to better decision making than one's brain signals (Stoica, 2012 ).…”

“… A schematic illustration of the evolution of the brain computer interface (BCI) applications: Cognitive & Perceptual Learning/Rehabilitation (McMillan et al, 1995 ); Orthosis Control (Pfurtscheller et al, 2000 ); Music BCI (Rosenboom, 2014 ); Robotics (Millan et al, 2004 ); Wheelchair Control (Iturrate et al, 2009 ); Drowsiness Detection (Lin et al, 2008 ); Affective Computing (Zander et al, 2009 ); Brain Racers (Perdikis et al, 2017 ); Multiplayer Gaming (Nijholt and Poel, 2016 ); Brain-to-Brain Interface (Rao et al, 2014 ). …”

Past and Future of Multi-Mind Brain–Computer Interfaces

“…Schultze-Kraft et al 2013). Other possible ways of making a final decision in a multi-mind system at the application level include choosing the fastest available output (e.g., if speed is a requirement of the system and it can be safely assumed that faster responders are also more accurate, perhaps in the form of a collaborative hybrid BCI), the most consistent brain activity, or the strongest one (Nijholt and Poel 2016). A considerable amount of work has been conducted to establish which level of fusion is optimal, obtaining quite consistent results across laboratories and applications.…”

“…Various types of multi-mind BCIs have been proposed in the last few years, adopting different approaches to competitive and collaborative gaming. For a review, the reader could refer to Nijholt and Poel (2016) and Nijholt (2015). Even though playing a video game using only a BCI is still difficult due to the high effort needed to control the BCI, which, could also affect the social interaction between users (Obbink et al 2012), multi-mind BCIs could be used with very simple games to increase engagement of users while learning to modulate their brainwaves.…”

“…However, multi-mind BCIs have still many challenges to face, suggesting that further advances are needed in this field. One of the issues to be investigated is related to the sociological aspects of multi-mind BCIs (Bonnet et al 2013;Cecotti and Rivet 2014a,b;Nijholt and Poel 2016). Although several groups have compared individual performance when alternating between collaborative and competitive scenarios with a multi-mind BCI (e.g., Bonnet et al 2013), to date, very little research has been conducted on how team design, collaboration, and motivation can influence task performance in collaborative BCIs (e.g., Schultze-Kraft et al 2013).…”