A Deep-Learning Empowered, Real-Time Processing Platform of fNIRS/DOT for Brain Computer Interfaces and Neurofeedback

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) and Neurofeedback (NFB) approaches, which both rely on real-time monitoring of brain activity, are increasingly being applied in rehabilitation, assistive technology, neurological diseases and behavioral disorders. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and diffuse optical tomography (DOT) are promising techniques for these applications due to their non-invasiveness, portability, low cost, and relatively high spatial resolution. However, real-time processing of fNIRS/DOT data remains a significant challenge as it requires establishing a baseline of the measurement, simultaneously performing real-time motion artifact (MA) correction across all channels, and (in the case of DOT) addressing the time-consuming process of image reconstruction. This study proposes a real-time processing system for fNIRS/DOT that integrates baseline calibration, denoising autoencoder (DAE) based MA correction model with a sliding window strategy, and a pre-calculated inverse Jacobian matrix to streamline the reconstructed 3D brain hemodynamics. The DAE model was trained on an extensive whole-head high-density DOT (HD-DOT) dataset and tested on separate motor imagery dataset augmented with artificial MA. The system demonstrated the capability to simultaneously process approximately 750 channels in real-time. Our results show that the DAE-based MA correction method outperformed traditional MA correction in terms of mean squared error and correlation to the known MA-free data while maintaining low latency, which is critical for effective BCI and NFB applications. The system’s high-channel, real-time processing capability provides channel-wise oxygenation information and functional 3D imaging, making it well-suited for fNIRS/DOT applications in BCI and NFB, particularly in movement-intensive scenarios such as motor rehabilitation and assistive technology for mobility support.