Critical Review on Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCIs) for Effective Human–Machine Interactions (HMIs)

Abstract

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) can be applied to interact with humans and intelligent machines more effectively. This paper explores the feasibility of fusing humans′ and machines′ intelligence by BCI to support the collaborations of humans and machines, and its primary objective is to identify critical hurdles of adopting BCIs for human–machine interactions (HMIs) in a complex environment. Theoretical fundamentals, available hardware and software, and existing applications of BCIs in smart machines are discussed thoroughly, and the focus was on the challenges in (1) detecting and interpreting humans′ intents and (2) utilizing humans′ intents in real-time controls of machines. As a conclusion, a hybrid supervisory control is proposed to fuse the intelligence of humans and machines to control an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); it fuses humans′ intelligence with artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance robustness and survivability.