Brain-computer interface control in a virtual reality environment and applications for the internet of things

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Computer Science
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) traditionally offer limited application scope, often confined to research settings.
• Existing BCI applications lack user flexibility and modularity for diverse real-world control.
• The integration of virtual reality (VR) and the internet of things (IoT) presents new avenues for BCI control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a versatile tool for creating customizable BCI applications.
• To enhance user autonomy in controlling virtual and physical environments through BCIs.
• To bridge the gap between BCI research and practical applications in VR and IoT.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Unity game engine for VR environment development.
• Integrated BCI2000 for real-time neural signal processing.
• Developed a modular framework for BCI application customization.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated real-time control of a Unity-based VR environment via neural interfacing.
• Validated the control of multiple commercial Internet of Things (IoT) devices using the developed BCI system.
• Showcased the flexibility and modularity of the created BCI application framework.

Conclusions:

• The developed tool provides a flexible platform for creating novel BCI applications.
• This approach significantly enhances user autonomy in controlling both virtual and physical environments.
• The integration of Unity, BCI2000, and IoT devices opens new possibilities for advanced BCI utilization.