Towards Independence: A BCI Telepresence Robot for People With Severe Motor Disabilities

Abstract

Abstract-This paper presents an important step forward towards increasing the independence of people with severe motor disabilities, by using brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to harness the power of the Internet of Things. We analyze the stability of brain signals as end-users with motor disabilities progress from performing simple standard on-screen training tasks to interacting with real devices in the real world. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the concept of shared control -which interprets the user's commands in context-empowers users to perform rather complex tasks without a high workload. We present the results of nine end-users with motor disabilities who were able to complete navigation tasks with a telepresence robot successfully in a remote environment (in some cases in a different country) that they had never previously visited. Moreover, these end-users achieved similar levels of performance to a control group of ten healthy users who were already familiar with the environment.

Adaptive Assistance for Brain-Computer Interfaces by Online Prediction of Command Reliability

“…Others accumulate evidence over time by integrating the classifier outputs until it reaches a certain threshold, at which point the command is delivered [18]. The latter approach results in different command delivery time (CDT) across trials [19,20]. Figure 1 illustrates such variations in a BCI session for two subjects.…”

Eye Controlled Mobile Robot with Shared Control for Physically Impaired People

“…Apart from these applications BCI can provide assistance for the individuals suffering from severe mobility disorders such as brain controlled wheelchairs for people suffering from disabilities [21], [22] , telepresence robots to provide aid for disabled persons [23], and exoskeletons [24], [25].…”

“…Research work is being done to establish a shared control that can be implemented in real time environment. A key feature in these shared control design is the use of several assistance modes [23]. Most researchers [31], [32], [33] used autonomous approach in which the user only specify the destination and the navigation system plans a short and safe path.…”

“…Leeb and Robert [23] used semi-autonomous approach in which user control high level commands (turn left, right) while low level commands (avoiding obstacle) are implemented by the robot. Only two classes are used and the default behavior of the robot is to move forward with a constant speed.…”

Integrating olfaction in a robotic telepresence loop

“…This standard configuration has allowed telepresence systems to be successfully deployed in applications such as health care [3], [4], elder assistance [5], or visual inspection of disaster areas [6], [7]. Moreover, the prevalence of high quality video conferencing using mobile devices, tablets and portable computers has enabled a drastic growth in telepresence robots to enhance the virtual experience of being physically present at the office [8], [9].…”