A Novel 3D Paradigm for Target Expansion of Augmented Reality SSVEP

Abstract

Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEP) have proven to be practical in Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), particularly when integrated with augmented reality (AR) for real-world application. However, unlike conventional computer screen-based SSVEP (CS-SSVEP), which benefits from stable experimental environments, AR-based SSVEP (AR-SSVEP) systems are susceptible to the interference of real-world environment and device instability. Particularly, the performance of AR-SSVEP significantly declines as the target frequency increases. Therefore, our study introduced a 3D paradigm that combines flicker frequency with rotation patterns as stimuli, enabling expansion of target sets without additional frequencies. In the proposed design, in addition to the conventional frequency-based SSVEP feature, bio-marker elicited by visual perception of rotation was investigated. An experimental comparison between this novel 3D paradigm and a traditional 2D approach, which increases targets by adding frequencies, reveals significant advantages. The 12-class 3D paradigm achieved an accuracy of 76.5% and an information transfer rate (ITR) of 70.42 bits/min using 1-second EEG segments. In contrast, the 2D paradigm exhibited a lower performance with 72.07% accuracy and 62.28 bits/min ITR. The result underscores the 3D paradigm’s superiority in enhancing the practical applications of SSVEP-based BCIs in AR settings, especially with shorter time windows, by effectively expanding target recognition without compromising system efficiency.