Pictures and Videos

Here follows some pictures and videos of Virtual Reality applications controlled using a BCI that we have designed.

Brain Arena: Multiplayer BCI-based gaming

We developed and studied Brain Arena, a multiplayer BCI-based video game. In this game, players had to collaborate or to compete (depending on the game mode) to bring a ball towards a given goal, using motor imagery of the corresponding hand. Such an application proved interesting at two levels. First, players enjoyed the game, and enjoyed it even more than its single player version. Second, the BCI performances of several players was improved during multiplayer games as compared to single player ones.

More details in the following paper:

L. Bonnet, F. Lotte, A. Lécuyer,

"Two Brains, One Game: Design and Evaluation of a Multi-User BCI Video Game Based on Motor Imagery"

IEEE Transactions on Computational Intelligence and AI in Games (IEEE T-CIAIG), 2013 - pdf

Using BCI to study spatial cognition and transfer from virtual to real environments

Since BCI can be used to navigate a virtual environment (VE) without any motor activity, BCI can be used to assess how much motor activity and vestibular information is really needed to transfer spatial knowledge from a virtual environment to a real one. To do so, we compared a motor imagery-based BCI and a treadmill to make users learn a path in a VE and retrieve it in the real world. Contrary to previous beliefs, our results suggested that motor activity and vestibular information are not necessary to learn a path in VR. Performing an action - even only a cognitive one (e.g., imagining hand movements) - seems enough to enable spatial transfer.

More details on this study in the following paper:

F. Larrue, H. Sauzeon, L. Aguilova, F. Lotte, M. Hachet, B. N'Kaoua,

"Brain Computer Interface Vs Walking Interface in VR: The Impact of Motor Activity on Spatial Transfer"

ACM symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology (VRST'2012), 2012 - pdf

Exploring a Virtual Museum by thoughts

In this application, a user can freely navigate in a virtual museum by using a BCI and three mental commands associated to three mental tasks: imagination of a left hand movement, imagination of a right hand movement and imagination of a foot movement.

More details on this application, you can refer to the following paper:

F. Lotte, A. Van Langhenhove, F. Lamarche, T. Ernest, Y. Renard, B. Arnaldi, A. Lécuyer,

“Exploring Large Virtual Environments by Thoughts using a Brain-Computer Interface based on Motor Imagery and High-Level Commands”,

Presence: teleoperators and virtual environments, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 54-70, 2010 - draft pdf

The OpenViBE platform and its use for BCI-based interaction with virtual reality

This video present the OpenViBE platform, dedicated to the design of real-time BCI, and its use for interaction with virtual environments by toughts (including the virtual museum application).

Please click on the picture to watch the video on YouTube.

For more details on the OpenViBE platform you can refer to the following paper:

Y. Renard, F. Lotte, G. Gibert, M. Congedo, E. Maby, V. Delannoy, O. Bertrand, A. Lécuyer,

“OpenViBE: An Open-Source Software Platform to Design, Test and Use Brain-Computer Interfaces in Real and Virtual Environments”,

Presence: teleoperators and virtual environments, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 35-53, 2010 - draft pdf

or check the OpenViBE website

The "Use-the-force" application

In this entertaining application, the user can lift a virtual spaceship (a Tie-Fighter©) using "the force", i.e., using a BCI :-).

This BCI is a self-paced BCI which can detect in brain acitivty, real or imagined foot movements.

For more details on this application, you can refer to the following papers:

F. Lotte, Y. Renard, A. Lécuyer,

"Self-paced Brain-Computer Interaction with Virtual Worlds: a Quantitative and Qualitative Study "Out of the Lab",

4th International Brain-Computer Interface Workshop and Training Course, 2008, pp. 373-378, pdf

A. Lécuyer, F. Lotte, R. Reilly, R. Leeb, M. Hirose, M. Slater,

“Brain-Computer Interfaces, Virtual Reality, and Videogames”,

IEEE Computer, vol. 41, no. 10, pp 66-72, 2008 - pdf

The 'Hand-ball' application

In this entertaining application, the user should bring the ball in one of the two goal (as instructed by the game). To do so, the user can move the ball toward the left or right by imagining movements of his left or right hand respectively, thanks to the BCI.

For more details on this application, you can refer to the following paper:

Y. Renard, F. Lotte, G. Gibert, M. Congedo, E. Maby, V. Delannoy, O. Bertrand, A. Lécuyer,

“OpenViBE: An Open-Source Software Platform to Design, Test and Use Brain-Computer Interfaces in Real and Virtual Environments”,

Presence: teleoperators and virtual environments, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 35-53, 2010 - draft pdf