Impact of Frequency Selection on LCD Screens for SSVEP Based Brain-Computer Interfaces

In this work, the high impact of appropriate selection of visual stimuli on liquid crystal displays (LCDs) used for the brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) based on the Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs) has been confirmed. The number of suitable frequencies on the standard LCD monitor is limited due to the vertical refresh rate of 60Hz and the number of simultaneously used stimuli. Two sets of frequencies have been compared among each other during the on-line spelling task with the Bremen-BCI system in the study with 10 healthy subjects. This work is meaningful for the practical design of LCD based BCIs. In this study, appropriate selection of visual stimuli results in a 40% change in the BCI literacy under otherwise equal conditions.

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