Brain-computer interface based on intermodulation frequency

Most recent steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) systems have used a single frequency for each target, so that a large number of targets require a large number of stimulus frequencies and therefore a wider frequency band. However, human beings show good SSVEP responses only in a limited range of frequencies. Furthermore, this issue is especially problematic if the SSVEP-based BCI takes a PC monitor as a stimulator, which is only capable of generating a limited range of frequencies. To mitigate this issue, this study presents an innovative coding method for SSVEP-based BCI by means of intermodulation frequencies.

Simultaneous modulations of stimulus luminance and color at different frequencies were utilized to induce intermodulation frequencies. Luminance flickered at relatively large frequency (10, 12, 15 Hz), while color alternated at low frequency (0.5, 1 Hz). An attractive feature of the proposed method was that it would substantially increase the number of targets at a single flickering frequency by altering color modulated frequencies. Based on this method, the BCI system presented in this study realized eight targets merely using three flickering frequencies.

The online results obtained from 15 subjects (14 healthy and 1 with stroke) revealed that an average classification accuracy of 93.83% and information transfer rate (ITR) of 33.80 bit min(-1) were achieved using our proposed SSVEP-based BCI system. Specifically, 5 out of the 15 subjects exhibited an ITR of 40.00 bit min(-1) with a classification accuracy of 100%.

These results suggested that intermodulation frequencies could be adopted as steady responses in BCI, for which our system could be used as a practical BCI system.