A Telepresence Mobile Robot Controlled With a Noninvasive Brain–Computer Interface

This paper reports an electroencephalogram-based brain-actuated telepresence system to provide a user with presence in remote environments through a mobile robot, with access to the Internet. This system relies on a P300-based brain-computer interface (BCI) and a mobile robot with autonomous navigation and camera orientation capabilities. The shared-control strategy is built by the BCI decoding of task-related orders (selection of visible target destinations or exploration areas), which can be autonomously executed by the robot. The system was evaluated using five healthy participants in two consecutive steps: 1) screening and training of participants and 2) preestablished navigation and visual exploration telepresence tasks. On the basis of the results, the following evaluation studies are reported: 1) technical evaluation of the device and its main functionalities and 2) the users' behavior study. The overall result was that all participants were able to complete the designed tasks, reporting no failures, which shows the robustness of the system and its feasibility to solve tasks in real settings where joint navigation and visual exploration were needed. Furthermore, the participants showed great adaptation to the telepresence system.

[1]  Emanuele Menegatti,et al.  Evaluation of a robot as embodied interface for Brain Computer Interface systems , 2009 .

[2]  A. Buttfield,et al.  Towards a robust BCI: error potentials and online learning , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.

[3]  Javier Minguez,et al.  Extending Collision Avoidance Methods to Consider the Vehicle Shape, Kinematics, and Dynamics of a Mobile Robot , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[4]  Javier Minguez,et al.  Nearness diagram (ND) navigation: collision avoidance in troublesome scenarios , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation.

[5]  Abdullah Akce,et al.  Remote teleoperation of an unmanned aircraft with a brain-machine interface: Theory and preliminary results , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[6]  E. John,et al.  Evoked-Potential Correlates of Stimulus Uncertainty , 1965, Science.

[7]  Luis Montesano,et al.  Single trial recognition of error-related potentials during observation of robot operation , 2010, 2010 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology.

[8]  C. Neuper,et al.  Combining Brain–Computer Interfaces and Assistive Technologies: State-of-the-Art and Challenges , 2010, Front. Neurosci..

[9]  L. Montesano,et al.  Towards an Intelligent Wheelchair System for Cerebral Palsy Users , 2009 .

[10]  Holly A. Yanco,et al.  Improved interfaces for human-robot interaction in urban search and rescue , 2004, 2004 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (IEEE Cat. No.04CH37583).

[11]  E. Donchin,et al.  Talking off the top of your head: toward a mental prosthesis utilizing event-related brain potentials. , 1988, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[12]  Dean J Krusienski,et al.  A comparison of classification techniques for the P300 Speller , 2006, Journal of neural engineering.

[13]  J. Minguez,et al.  Extending Reactive Collision Avoidance Methods to Consider any Vehicle Shape and the Kinematics and Dynamic Constraints , 2008 .

[14]  D J McFarland,et al.  An EEG-based brain-computer interface for cursor control. , 1991, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[15]  N. Birbaumer,et al.  Brain–computer interfaces and communication in paralysis: Extinction of goal directed thinking in completely paralysed patients? , 2008, Clinical Neurophysiology.

[16]  H. Flor,et al.  A spelling device for the paralysed , 1999, Nature.

[17]  G. Pfurtscheller,et al.  ‘Thought’ – control of functional electrical stimulation to restore hand grasp in a patient with tetraplegia , 2003, Neuroscience Letters.

[18]  Cuntai Guan,et al.  Asynchronous P300-Based Brain--Computer Interfaces: A Computational Approach With Statistical Models , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[19]  E. W. Sellers,et al.  Toward enhanced P300 speller performance , 2008, Journal of Neuroscience Methods.

[20]  Wanderley Cardoso Celeste,et al.  Human–machine interface based on muscular and brain signals applied to a robotic wheelchair , 2007 .

[21]  A. Karim,et al.  Neural Internet: Web Surfing with Brain Potentials for the Completely Paralyzed , 2006, Neurorehabilitation and neural repair.

[22]  Iñaki Iturrate,et al.  A Noninvasive Brain-Actuated Wheelchair Based on a P300 Neurophysiological Protocol and Automated Navigation , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[23]  Luis Montesano,et al.  Lessons Learned in Integration for Sensor-Based Robot Navigation Systems , 2006 .

[24]  Javier Minguez,et al.  A telepresence robotic system operated with a P300-based brain-computer interface: Initial tests with ALS patients , 2010, 2010 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology.

[25]  Rajesh P. N. Rao,et al.  Control of a humanoid robot by a noninvasive brain–computer interface in humans , 2008, Journal of neural engineering.

[26]  José del R. Millán,et al.  Context-Based Filtering for Assisted Brain-Actuated Wheelchair Driving , 2007, Comput. Intell. Neurosci..

[27]  Emanuele Menegatti,et al.  A BCI Teleoperated Museum Robotic Guide , 2009, 2009 International Conference on Complex, Intelligent and Software Intensive Systems.

[28]  A. Graser,et al.  Low level control in a semi-autonomous rehabilitation robotic system via a Brain-Computer Interface , 2007, 2007 IEEE 10th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics.

[29]  José del R. Millán,et al.  The role of shared-control in BCI-based telepresence , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics.

[30]  Robert Leeb,et al.  Towards natural non-invasive hand neuroprostheses for daily living , 2010, 2010 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology.

[31]  N. Birbaumer,et al.  BCI2000: a general-purpose brain-computer interface (BCI) system , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[32]  Sven Koenig,et al.  A reactive robot architecture with planning on demand , 2003, Proceedings 2003 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2003) (Cat. No.03CH37453).

[33]  M. Nuttin,et al.  A brain-actuated wheelchair: Asynchronous and non-invasive Brain–computer interfaces for continuous control of robots , 2008, Clinical Neurophysiology.

[34]  Bruce A. MacDonald,et al.  Player 2.0: Toward a Practical Robot Programming Framework , 2008 .

[35]  Salil H. Patel,et al.  Characterization of N200 and P300: Selected Studies of the Event-Related Potential , 2005, International journal of medical sciences.

[36]  Luis Montesano,et al.  Modeling dynamic scenarios for local sensor-based motion planning , 2008, Auton. Robots.

[37]  Ricardo Carelli,et al.  Human-machine interfaces based on EMG and EEG applied to robotic systems , 2008, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.

[38]  Luis Montesano,et al.  Towards an Intelligent Wheelchair System for Users With Cerebral Palsy , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.

[39]  Christian Laugier,et al.  Controlling a Wheelchair Indoors Using Thought , 2007, IEEE Intelligent Systems.

[40]  E Donchin,et al.  Brain-computer interface technology: a review of the first international meeting. , 2000, IEEE transactions on rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.

[41]  Dennis J. McFarland,et al.  Brain–computer interfaces for communication and control , 2002, Clinical Neurophysiology.

[42]  Javier Minguez,et al.  Human brain-teleoperated robot between remote places , 2009, 2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[43]  José del R. Millán,et al.  Noninvasive brain-actuated control of a mobile robot by human EEG , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[44]  Javier Minguez,et al.  Sensor-based robot motion generation in unknown, dynamic and troublesome scenarios , 2005, Robotics Auton. Syst..