Abstract
Imagination of movement can be used as a control method for a brain-computer interface (BCI) allowing communication for the physically impaired. Visual feedback within such a closed loop system excludes those with visual problems and hence there is a need for alternative sensory feedback pathways. In the context of substituting the visual channel for the auditory channel, this study aims to add to the limited evidence that it is possible to substitute visual feedback for its auditory equivalent and assess the impact this has on BCI performance. Secondly, the study aims to determine for the first time if the type of auditory feedback method influences motor imagery performance significantly. Auditory feedback is presented using a stepped approach of single (mono), double (stereo), and multiple (vector base amplitude panning as an audio game) loudspeaker arrangements. Visual feedback involves a ball-basket paradigm and a spaceship game. Each session consists of either auditory or visual feedback only with runs of each type of feedback presentation method applied in each session. Results from seven subjects across five sessions of each feedback type (visual, auditory) (10 sessions in total) show that auditory feedback is a suitable substitute for the visual equivalent and that there are no statistical differences in the type of auditory feedback presented across five sessions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 431-440 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 28 Apr 2014 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 May 2014 |
Funding
This work was supported in part by the Intelligent Systems Research Centre (ISRC), Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland (DELNI) and in part by the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under Project EP/H012958/1.