Wearable Brain Computer Interface (BCI) to assist communication in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Lack of communication in hospitals can be a significant factor in causing distress for both patients and doctors, particularly in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The use of computers in this context, Brain Computer Interface (BCI) systems in particular, can facilitate communication on demand. BCI systems enable ICU patients to communicate using the electrical activity of their brains. For this purpose, we designed and developed a BCI system comprised of an Android tablet that allows patients to look at the screen to call the nurse, or ask for what they need solely using patients Electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded using a wireless wearable BCI. The flickering icons are rendered on the tablets screen, each conveying a specific message using an openGL-based paradigm stimuli. Meanwhile, the EEG signals are recorded wirelessly via Bluetooth in real-time. Subsequently, our designed and developed signal processing module interpret the EEG dynamics and identifies the flickering icon that the subject is focusing on. Our experimental results on 10 subjects demonstrated 98.7% average SSVEP identification accuracy.