Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience
Volume 2007 (2007), Article ID 25130, 12 pages
doi:10.1155/2007/25130
Research Article
Context-Based Filtering for Assisted Brain-Actuated Wheelchair Driving
1The Department of Mechanical Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven 3001, Belgium
2The IDIAP Research Institute, Martigny 1920, Switzerland
Received 18 February 2007; Accepted 23 May 2007
Recommended by Fabio Babiloni
Abstract
Controlling a robotic device by using human brain signals is an interesting and challenging task.
The device may be complicated to control and the nonstationary nature of the brain signals provides
for a rather unstable input. With the use of intelligent processing algorithms adapted to the task
at hand, however, the performance can be increased. This paper introduces a shared control system
that helps the subject in driving an intelligent wheelchair with a noninvasive brain interface.
The subject's steering intentions are estimated from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals
and passed through to the shared control system before being sent to the wheelchair motors.
Experimental results show a possibility for significant improvement in the overall driving performance
when using the shared control system compared to driving without it. These results have been
obtained with 2 healthy subjects during their first day of training with the brain-actuated wheelchair.