A Wearable AR-based BCI for Robot Control in ADHD Treatment: Preliminary Evaluation of Adherence to Therapy

Abstract

A wearable, single-channel Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) based on Augmented Reality (AR) and Steady-State Visually Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs) for robot control is proposed as an innovative therapy for robot-based Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) rehabilitation of children. The system manages to overcome the challenges regarding immersivity and wearability, providing a direct path between human brain and social robots, already successfully employed for ADHD treatment. Through the proposed system, even without training, the user can drive a robot, in real-time, by brain signals. A preliminary evaluation of the children adherence to the therapy was conducted as a case study on 18 subjects, at an accredited rehabilitation center. After investigating the children acceptance of the proposed system, different tasks were assigned to the volunteers aiming to observe their level of involvement. The experimental activity showed encouraging results, where almost all the participants were satisfied with the experience and keen to repeat it again in the future.