Commanding Wheelchair in Virtual Reality with Thoughts by Multiclass BCI based on Movement-related Cortical Potentials

Abstract

Brain-driven wheelchair control is an attractive application in theBrain-Computer Interface (BCI) field. In this research, wedesigned and validated a virtual wheelchair navigation systemcontrolled by our latest multiclass BCI Menu interface based on afast brain switch, which provides five commands: move forward,turn left, turn right, move backward, and stop. Preliminary resultshave shown that subjects can successfully control the wheelchairto hit all targets in the immersive virtual reality (VR)environment. This system proves an avenue to bridge the gapbetween simulation control in VR environments and real-lifewheelchair applications for mobility impairment.