TY - JOUR
T1 - Flight simulation using a Brain-Computer Interface
T2 - A pilot, pilot study
AU - Kryger, Michael
AU - Wester, Brock
AU - Pohlmeyer, Eric A.
AU - Rich, Matthew
AU - John, Brendan
AU - Beaty, James
AU - McLoughlin, Michael
AU - Boninger, Michael
AU - Tyler-Kabara, Elizabeth C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 's (Arlington, VA, USA) Revolutionizing Prosthetics program (contract number N66001-10-C-4056 ), Office of Research and Development, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs (Washington DC, USA, grant numbers B6789C , B7143R , and RX720 ), and UPMC Rehabilitation Institute (Pittsburgh, PA, USA). This study was done under an investigational device exemption granted by the US Food and Drug Administration . We would like to thank Jennifer Collinger for all of her support setting up these experiments, as well as her input during editing. We once again thank Jan Scheuermann for her extraordinary commitment and effort in relation to this study and insightful discussions with the study team; Karina Palko for her participation as an honorary research team member and support of the study; Elke Brown (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) for assistance with BCI testing sessions; Debbie Harrington (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) for regulatory management of the study; the University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the Office of Investigator-Sponsored Investigational New Drugs and Investigational Device Exemption support for assistance with protocol development and regulatory reporting and compliance; the volunteer members of the DSMB for their continued monitoring of this study; Blackrock Microsystems (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) for coordination efforts and technical support in relation to this project. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not represent the official policy or position of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, or US Government.
Funding Information:
This research was developed with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in this article are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official views or policies of the Department of Defense or the US Government.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2017/1/1
Y1 - 2017/1/1
N2 - As Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems advance for uses such as robotic arm control it is postulated that the control paradigms could apply to other scenarios, such as control of video games, wheelchair movement or even flight. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether our BCI system, which involves decoding the signals of two 96-microelectrode arrays implanted into the motor cortex of a subject, could also be used to control an aircraft in a flight simulator environment. The study involved six sessions in which various parameters were modified in order to achieve the best flight control, including plane type, view, control paradigm, gains, and limits. Successful flight was determined qualitatively by evaluating the subject's ability to perform requested maneuvers, maintain flight paths, and avoid control losses such as dives, spins and crashes. By the end of the study, it was found that the subject could successfully control an aircraft. The subject could use both the jet and propeller plane with different views, adopting an intuitive control paradigm. From the subject's perspective, this was one of the most exciting and entertaining experiments she had performed in two years of research. In conclusion, this study provides a proof-of-concept that traditional motor cortex signals combined with a decoding paradigm can be used to control systems besides a robotic arm for which the decoder was developed. Aside from possible functional benefits, it also shows the potential for a new recreational activity for individuals with disabilities who are able to master BCI control.
AB - As Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems advance for uses such as robotic arm control it is postulated that the control paradigms could apply to other scenarios, such as control of video games, wheelchair movement or even flight. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether our BCI system, which involves decoding the signals of two 96-microelectrode arrays implanted into the motor cortex of a subject, could also be used to control an aircraft in a flight simulator environment. The study involved six sessions in which various parameters were modified in order to achieve the best flight control, including plane type, view, control paradigm, gains, and limits. Successful flight was determined qualitatively by evaluating the subject's ability to perform requested maneuvers, maintain flight paths, and avoid control losses such as dives, spins and crashes. By the end of the study, it was found that the subject could successfully control an aircraft. The subject could use both the jet and propeller plane with different views, adopting an intuitive control paradigm. From the subject's perspective, this was one of the most exciting and entertaining experiments she had performed in two years of research. In conclusion, this study provides a proof-of-concept that traditional motor cortex signals combined with a decoding paradigm can be used to control systems besides a robotic arm for which the decoder was developed. Aside from possible functional benefits, it also shows the potential for a new recreational activity for individuals with disabilities who are able to master BCI control.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.05.013
DO - 10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.05.013
M3 - Article
C2 - 27196543
AN - SCOPUS:85002568974
VL - 287
SP - 473
EP - 478
JO - Neurodegeneration
JF - Neurodegeneration
SN - 0014-4886
ER -