Recent advances and current trends in brain-computer interface research and their applications

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology facilitates direct neural pathway communication.
• BCI systems are rapidly advancing, showing potential for widespread real-world applications.
• Recent years have seen significant growth and interest in BCI research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current trends in brain-computer interface research.
• To analyze the 100 most cited BCI articles published between 2016 and 2020.
• To categorize BCI applications across medicine, communication, control, and entertainment.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of 100 highly cited articles from the Web of Science (WOS) database.
• Analysis focused on articles published from 2016 to 2020.
• Data extraction included application area, recording methods, signal acquisition types, and country of origin.

Main Results:

• Identified key trends and advances in BCI research over a four-year period.
• Categorized BCI applications into distinct sectors: Medicine, Communication and Control, Entertainment, and Other.
• Provided insights into the global distribution and methodologies within BCI research.

Conclusions:

• BCI technology is progressing towards practical implementation across diverse fields.
• The review offers a comprehensive overview of BCI's current landscape and future directions.
• Understanding these trends is crucial for future BCI development and application.