Control of a simulated wheelchair based on a hybrid brain computer interface

Abstract

In this paper, a hybrid BCI system was described for the control of a simulated wheelchair. This hybrid BCI was based on the motor imagery-based mu rhythm and the P300 potential. With our paradigm, the user may perform left- or right-hand imagery to control the direction (left or right turn) of the simulated wheelchair. Furthermore, a hybrid manner was used for speed control: e.g., foot imagery without button attention for deceleration and a specific button attention without any motor imagery for acceleration. An experiment based on a simulated wheelchair in virtual environment was conducted to assess the BCI control. Subjects effectively steered the simulated wheelchairs by controlling the direction and speed with our hybrid BCI system. Data analysis validated that our hybrid BCI system can be used to control the direction and speed of a simulated wheelchair.