Imagine children with severe mobility issues being able to move their wheelchairs with their minds. That's the idea behind a new brain-computer interface being developed by researchers at the University of Alberta and University of Calgary.
Think2Switch is designed to be a simple and nearly universal bridge connecting brain signals to switch-enabled devices such as a wheelchair, light or electric toy. It's still in the early stages of development but early tests have been promising.
The device is the inaugural winner of the ST Innovations Challenge. It was developed in a partnership between the U of A's Assistive Technology Lab, the U of C's Pediatric Brain-Computer Interface Program (BCI 4 Kids) and the Ontario-based company Ideas for Independent Living.
"Our brains are designed in a really lucky way in that the motor cortex and the activation of imagined movement can be read directly from electrodes just placed on your scalp," said Eli Kinney-Lang, lead scientist at BCI 4 Kids Calgary.
Brain-computer interface, or BCI, has emerged as a promising new way to connect people with assistive technologies. But it can be complicated and often doesn't work easily with existing devices, especially for children where research has been limited.
"There's a big gap in the BCI world around children, particularly in connecting to the devices kids might actually want to use," said Kim Adams, associate professor in the U of A's Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine and director of the Assistive Technology Lab.
"For kids with limited mobility, being able to use their brain to turn on a toy is going to be a really valuable beginner tool," said Adams. "From that toy, they might progress to controlling a game or moving a power wheelchair, and from there they might progress to more control with the brain signals. I think it will slowly open up the world to them."
"Right now, BCI headsets are cumbersome to use and are really geared towards engineers, researchers and clinicians," Kinney-Lang added. "If you're a parent who's looking for something like that right now for your child, you would need a huge amount of technical knowledge to be able to run and connect it to the adaptive devices you're used to."
