Brain-drive: A smart driver for controlling digital appliances using cognitive command

Abstract

For the disabled and handicapped, the world of brain-computer interface has opened a new horizon to lead an unassisted and least supervised life. But the use of prosthetic limbs and artificial organs are still not commercially available in most of the countries. Recently developed some other brainwave based systems are mostly expensive, immobile or task specific. In order to overcome these problems, analogous to the pen-drive, we have focused on developing a low cost control unit namely “Brain-drive” which transforms ones thoughts into output digital electric signal. Certain thoughts (mental tasks) with hard eye blinking (neural driven physical outcome) develops certain action potential, no matter the eye blinking is visible or not, it creates a significant change in electroencephalogram (EEG) or brain signal. Single channel EEG signal is collected from frontal lobe as it plays a vital role in voluntary movement using a wearable Mindwave Mobile from Neurosky. The EEG data thus recorded is preprocessed to reduce the effect of noise and artifacts and then analyzed in time domain. A grid of cells are displayed on a monitor in front of the subject, which is connected to individual digital output pin onboard an embedded system. To select a cell, a user just needs to look and generate a sustainable eye blink which can easily be identified from the raw value of brainwave. Since eye blinking can be both conscious and involuntary, automatic periodic eye blink of very low frequency oscillation is removed to avoid unwanted selection of command. Unlike webcam based eye blink detector, Brain-Drive captures the signal for blink rather than the visual output of blinking. The system can be trained for person specific customized performance, considering special needs of a disabled or handicapped people who cannot communicate with the outside world using voice, motion or other methods. With the help of cognitive command, the ‘Brain-Drive’ can be used to control wheelchair, home appliances and even industrial machines.