Real-time control of a video game with a direct brain-computer interface

Borisoff, Jaimie (Jaimie Borisoff (Jaimie_Borisoff)) (author)
Mason, Steven, G. (author)
Bohringer, Regula (author)
Birch, Gary, E. (author)
(editor)
(translator)

Copyright © 2004 American Clinical Neurophysiology Society

Mason and Birch have developed a direct brain–computer interface for intermittent control of devices such as environmental control systems and neuroprotheses. This EEG-based brain switch, named the LF-ASD, has been used in several off-line studies, but little is known about its usability with real-world devices and computer applications. In this study, able-bodied individuals and people with high-level spinal injury used the LF-ASD brain switch to control a video game in real time. Both subject groups demonstrated switch activations varying from 30% to 78% and false-positive rates in the range of 0.5% to 2.2% over three 1-hour test sessions. These levels correspond to switch classification accuracies greater than 94% for all subjects. The results suggest that subjects with spinal cord injuries can operate the brain switch to the same ability as able-bodied subjects in a real-time control environment. These results support the findings of previous studies.