Direct Brain Interface Laboratory

Real World Testing of a Brain-Computer Interface to Operate a Commercial Augmentative and Alternative Communication System

The project was supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the Administration for Community Living under Grant No. 90IFDV0002. 

For the most vulnerable individuals who cannot otherwise access augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, access through brain computer interfaces (BCIs) offers the opportunity to obtain AAC’s vital quality-of-life benefits.  However, little evidence exists on the features, clinical services and resources needed to effectively deliver an AAC-BCI. The University of Michigan partnered with the University of Pittsburgh, the Prentke Romich Company (PRC) and the ICAN Talk Clinic, as well as patients and caregivers, to meet this need.  

Current Status for NIDILRR grant:

• Testing an AAC-BCI prototype that advances the effectiveness of current BCI communication with dry electrode technology.

• Survey data on quality and ease of BCI communication is being collected from individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), brainstem strokes, severe cerebral palsy, or traumatic brain injury (TBI)

• Creating a language sample repository for data sharing

• Improving the procedures and tools for comprehensive assessment to provide clinical evidence to support AAC-BCI funding.

• Developed in-home training materials and resources necessary for successful daily communication using an AAC-BCI.

Brain-Computer Interfaces for People with Cerebral Palsy; Building Collaborations for Communication and Cognitive Testing Applications

Dr. Huggins has a career development award (CDG8116) from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research foundation to fund travel to build collaborations to study making BCIs functional for people with cerebral palsy.  

• This grant supports dissemination of results from a recently completed grant (PG3516) from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation on Innovative Assessment of Receptive Language in People with Cerebral Palsy who are nonverbal: A Comparison of Eye-Gaze Interface and Brain-Computer Interface Test Administration Methods.

Preparations for In-Home Testing and Brain-computer Interfaces Operating Assistive Technology

The goal of this project is to prepare for in-home testing of BCIs through the involvement of potential BCI users and the development of improved BCI capabilities. Current BCI operated cursor movements require a long learning time and provide limited accuracy. To potentially reduce the learning time, a more engaging training environment will be developed and tested using a mu-rhythm BCI. A new cursor movement algorithm based on P300 event related potentials will also be developed and compared to physical interfaces for cursor movement that are currently used by people with disabilities. This project will increase the involvement of potential BCI users in design and development so that eventual commercial BCIs will fit the lifestyle and needs of these users. Potential users will test BCIs and also participate in surveys and focus group discussions about BCI design and function.

The project is supported by the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in the Department of Education under Grant No. H133G090005. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIDRR or the Department of Education.

Current Status for NIDRR Grant: 

• • A focus group of people with ALS regarding BCI design priorities has been published.

  • Survey data on BCI design is being collected from people with spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, and neuromuscular disease.

  • A P300 interface for mouse emulation has been developed

  • The P300-mouse is being tested with people who use alternative mouse interfaces.

  • BCI usage to operate commercial assistive technology in a plug and play manner has been tested with people with ALS.

  • EEG differences between people with ALS and people without ALS while using the BCI are being studied.

Brain-Computer Interfaces for the Operation of Commercial Assistive Technology

The goal of this project was to create and evaluate plug-and-play brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that can operate commercially available assistive technology (AT). This would be a simple and cost-effective strategy for people with disabilities and AT practitioners, since previously purchased AT devices (and the time and effort invested in them) could still be utilized, with the BCI replacing a previously used physical interface. Creating the new BCI functionality within the NIH-funded BCI2000 research platform, which is utilized by many research labs worldwide, could benefit the entire field of BCI research.

The project was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Grant No. R21HD054697. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NICHD or the NIH.

Overview of the NIH funded work (2008-2012):

• • A prototype mult-purpose BCI output device (MBOD) was developed. The MBOD identifies itself as a USB keyboard or mouse and can also produce switch closures.

  • The MBOD was tested as a keyboard replacement device for operating a communication system and typing on a laptop.

Tilt/Recline Adjustment by Subjects with ALS using Brain Computer Interfaces

Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are a new technology that could provide people with complete paralysis with the ability to operate assistive devices independently. The proposed work will test a BCI as a clinical management tool for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease) to independently adjust the tilt seating position on a power wheelchair. This will help with comfort and improved respiration in their home environments. By examining the realistic effort/benefit trade-offs the subjects' experience while using a BCI, the proposed work will lay a foundation for the clinical use of BCIs by people with physical impairments resulting from a variety of diseases and injuries, such as ALS, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, and brainstem stroke, and it will inform the further development of BCIs into practical clinical tools.

The project was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Grant No. 5R21HD54913. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NICHD or the NIH.

Overview of the NIH funded work (2008-2012):

• • Information on the BCI design preferences of people with ALS was collected to assist with BCI system design.

  • An interface to operate the tilt of a power wheelchair was created and tested by a person with ALS in the home environment for a period of several months.

  • An algorithm for hold-release functionality that could be used for control of tilt position was created and tested.

Direct Brain Interface Based on Event Detection in ECOG

The University of Michigan Direct Brain Interface Laboratory began pioneering work in electrocorticogram (ECoG) for brain-computer interfaces (BCI). This work was funded by NIDRR and NIH. The collection of new ECoG data ended in 2008, but the extensive database of recorded ECoG is still being analyzed.

The project was supported by Award Number R01EB002093 from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and BioEngineering. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and BioEngineering or the National Institutes of Health.

Overview of the NIH funded work (2001-2008):

• • Titles and Participants

• • Preliminary Work -- University of Michigan and Henry Ford Hospitals

    • Concept and Goals

    • Signal Source and Subjects

    • Experimental Paradigm and Template Extraction

    • Signal Detection

    • Results

    • Conclusion

• • Preliminary Work -- Technical University Graz

    • Methods

    • Results