Article

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a hybrid control on usability of a
P300-based brain-computer interface (BCI) system that was designed to control an
assistive technology software and was integrated with an electromyographic
channel for error correction. DESIGN: Proof-of-principle study with a convenience
sample. SETTING: Neurologic rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Participants
(N=11) in this pilot study included healthy (n=8) and severely motor impaired
(n=3) persons. The 3 people with severe motor disability were identified as
potential candidates to benefit from the proposed hybrid BCI system for
communication and environmental interaction. INTERVENTIONS: To eventually
investigate the improvement in usability, we compared 2 modalities of BCI system
control: a P300-based and a hybrid P300 electromyographic-based mode of control.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: System usability was evaluated according to the following
outcome measures within 3 domains: (1) effectiveness (overall system accuracy and
P300-based BCI accuracy); (2) efficiency (throughput time and users' workload);
and (3) satisfaction (users' satisfaction). We also considered the information
transfer rate and time for selection. RESULTS: Findings obtained in healthy
participants were in favor of a higher usability of the hybrid control as
compared with the nonhybrid. A similar trend was indicated by the observational
results gathered from each of the 3 potential end-users. CONCLUSIONS: The
proposed hybrid BCI control modality could provide end-users with severe motor
disability with an option to exploit some residual muscular activity, which could
not be fully reliable for properly controlling an assistive technology device.
The findings reported in this pilot study encourage the implementation of a
clinical trial involving a large cohort of end-users.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS