SBIR-STTR Award

The objective is to demonstrate brainwave communication for users with severe muscle control disabilities. The basic technical approach will be to employ coherent detection of periodic brain waves, taking advantage of the ability of a coherent detection system to reject interference from muscle and random brainwave signals. The hands-free Cyberlink computer control system will be used as the basic building block. Software will be modified to operate with full coherent detection. Twenty subjects with severe muscle control disabilities will be used to answer the following questions: (I) can subjects be trained to generate periodic signals; (ii) is the signal-to-noise ratio of these periodic signals sufficient to allow reliable two-level decisions; (iii) can subjects be trained to control either the amplitude or frequency of these periodic signals and (iv) can the conscious blending of non-coherent signals enhance learning periodic signal generation. This represents a revolutionary approach to computer access. Control signals generated by the user will be independent of involuntary muscle activity making this method attractive as a computer access method for those with no other method of control due to involuntary muscle activity such as spasticity. Users that were previously locked-in, would now have access to computers, communication and control