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A Modular Framework for EEG Web Based Binary Brain Computer Interfaces to Recover Communication Abilities in Impaired People

  • Patient Facing Systems
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Abstract

A Brain Computer Interface (BCI) allows communication for impaired people unable to express their intention with common channels. Electroencephalography (EEG) represents an effective tool to allow the implementation of a BCI. The present paper describes a modular framework for the implementation of the graphic interface for binary BCIs based on the selection of symbols in a table. The proposed system is also designed to reduce the time required for writing text. This is made by including a motivational tool, necessary to improve the quality of the collected signals, and by containing a predictive module based on the frequency of occurrence of letters in a language, and of words in a dictionary. The proposed framework is described in a top-down approach through its modules: signal acquisition, analysis, classification, communication, visualization, and predictive engine. The framework, being modular, can be easily modified to personalize the graphic interface to the needs of the subject who has to use the BCI and it can be integrated with different classification strategies, communication paradigms, and dictionaries/languages. The implementation of a scenario and some experimental results on healthy subjects are also reported and discussed: the modules of the proposed scenario can be used as a starting point for further developments, and application on severely disabled people under the guide of specialized personnel.

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Acknowledgments

The Authors are very grateful to the “Fondazione Fabio Sciacca Onlus” for having supported this research project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100, L’Aquila, Italy

    Giuseppe Placidi, Andrea Petracca & Matteo Spezialetti

  2. Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering Antonio Ruberti, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Ariosto 25, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Daniela Iacoviello

Authors
  1. Giuseppe Placidi
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  2. Andrea Petracca
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  3. Matteo Spezialetti
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  4. Daniela Iacoviello
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Correspondence to Giuseppe Placidi.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Patient Facing Systems

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Placidi, G., Petracca, A., Spezialetti, M. et al. A Modular Framework for EEG Web Based Binary Brain Computer Interfaces to Recover Communication Abilities in Impaired People. J Med Syst 40, 34 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-015-0402-4

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