[Research on hybrid brain-computer interface based on imperceptible visual and auditory stimulation responses].

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction

Context:

• Hybrid brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) offer improved performance but often rely on intense sensory stimulation, negatively impacting user comfort.
• Existing BCIs frequently use strong auditory and central visual stimuli, leading to a poor user experience.
• Peripheral visual and low-intensity auditory stimulation can significantly enhance user comfort in BCIs.

Purpose:

• To develop a high-comfort hybrid brain-computer interface (BCI) system.
• To utilize high-frequency peripheral visual stimulation and low-intensity auditory stimulation (40-dB) to elicit steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) and auditory steady-state response (ASSR) signals.
• To improve coding efficiency and user experience in hybrid BCIs through imperceptible stimulation.

Summary:

• A novel hybrid BCI system was developed using high-frequency peripheral visual stimulation and 40-dB auditory stimulation.
• The system effectively elicits SSVEP and ASSR signals, coding 40 targets using 20 visual and two auditory frequencies.
• The hybrid BCI achieved an average classification accuracy of 78.00 ± 12.18% and an information transfer rate (ITR) of 27.47 bits/min.

Impact:

• This research presents a new paradigm for designing comfortable hybrid BCIs based on weak audio-visual evoked responses.
• The findings suggest a path towards more user-friendly and efficient BCI systems.
• The study demonstrates the potential of imperceptible stimulation for enhancing BCI performance and user experience.