An Asynchronous Control Paradigm Based on Sequential Motor Imagery and Its Application in Wheelchair Navigation

• Published in: IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering Vol. 26; no. 12; pp. 2367 - 2375
• Main Authors: Yu, Yang, Liu, Yadong, Jiang, Jun, Yin, Erwei, Zhou, Zongtan, Hu, Dewen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01.12.2018; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: asynchronous control; Brain; Brain-computer interface; Classification algorithms; Coding; Computer applications; Computer simulation; Controllability; Deceleration; Electroencephalography; Emulation; Feasibility studies; Human-computer interface; Imagery; Implants; Mental task performance; Motor task performance; Motors; Navigation; Neuroimaging; Performance evaluation; Protocols; sequential motor imagery; Steering; Task analysis; wheelchair control; Wheelchairs
• ISSN: 1534-4320; 1558-0210; 1558-0210
• DOI: 10.1109/TNSRE.2018.2881215

In this paper, an asynchronous control paradigm based on sequential motor imagery (sMI) is proposed to enrich the control commands of a motor imagery -based brain-computer interface. We test the feasibility and report the performance of this paradigm in wheelchair navigation control. By sequentially imaging left- and right-hand movements, the subjects can complete four sMI tasks in an asynchronous mode that are then encoded to control six steering functions of a wheelchair, including moving forward, turning left, turning right, accelerating, decelerating, and stopping. Two experiments, a simulated experiment, and an online wheelchair navigation experiment, were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach in seven subjects. In summary, the subjects completed 99 of 105 experimental trials along a predefined route. The success rate was 94.2% indicating the practicality and the effectiveness of the proposed asynchronous control paradigm in wheelchair navigation control.