A new P300 stimulus presentation pattern for EEG-based spelling systems

A P300 spelling system is one of the most popular EEG-based spelling systems. This system is normally presented as a matrix and allows its users to select one of many options by focused attention. It is possible to use large matrices as a large menu (computer keyboard, etc.), but then more time is required for each selection, because all rows and columns of the matrix must flash once per trial to locate the target character in the row/column (RC) speller method. In this paper, a new flash pattern design based on mathematical combinations is suggested. This new method decreases the number of flashes required in each trial. A typical example of a 6x6 matrix is considered. Only 9 flashes per trial for the 6x6 matrix are required in this new method, which is 3 flashes less than the RC speller method (12 flashes per trial). In this paper, practical bit rate was used. Results from offline analysis have shown that the 9-flash pattern yielded significantly higher practical bit rate than the 12-flash pattern (RC pattern).