Brain-controlled drone racing game: A qualitative analysis

Abstract

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) provides a direct path of communication between the human brain and electronic systems. With the evolution of BCI hardware and software, the realm of BCI applications is expanding. An emerging field is the integration of BCI and video-games. In addition to providing a new user experience, brain-controlled games also allow users with physical disabilities to join the gaming community and compete at the same level as all players. Recently, drone racing has emerged as a popular sport, and analogously to car racing, it is natural that drone racing games will also rise in popularity. This paper presents a brain-controlled drone racing video game where users can control a racing drone using a non-invasive BCI headset by performing a motor imagery task. Additionally, it presents a qualitative analysis of a user study performed with 54 participants to understand users’ perceptions towards brain-controlled games and gain insight on the future of brain-controlled games from the users’ perspective. Results from this study indicate a high level of excitement from players regarding brain-controlled drone games. This paper also provides suggestions for genres of BCI games as well as a discussion of possible future directions for research in this field.