Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Special communicationBrain-Computer Interface Users Speak Up: The Virtual Users' Forum at the 2013 International Brain-Computer Interface Meeting
Section snippets
Methods
Data presented during the Virtual Users' Forum came from 3 sources: (1) responses to an online survey of expert BCI users; (2) transcripts of interviews with novice BCI users; and (3) prepared statements from 2 authors who are also BCI users. All participants had severe disabilities and experience with 1 of 2 different noninvasive BCI systems: the Wadsworth BCI Home System (BCI24/7) and the RSVP Keyboard. Both systems use wet-electrode electroencephalography signals acquired via a cap studded
Results
Data from the 3 sources were organized into 4 major themes. Quotation marks appear around text taken directly from interview transcripts, survey responses, or the written comments prepared by the authors for the Virtual Users' Forum.
Discussion
Comments from the Virtual Users' Forum at the 2013 BCI Meeting provide insight into the opinions and preferences of potential BCI users, and offer a glimpse of how PAR may be implemented in the BCI community. The overall objective of clinical BCIs, which is consonant with general assistive technology principles, is to provide options for enhancing communication and computer control so that individuals with disabilities can function at their fullest potential for health, education, social
Conclusions
Individuals with disabilities can be important partners in the effective translation of BCI technology. Using reports from people with disabilities about their BCI use at all stages of expertise should foster a more realistic understanding of the state of the technology. Their input about device satisfaction and desired outcomes can suggest research questions, guide system development, and aid in the design of appropriate clinical implementation services and outcomes measures for BCI in the
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Cited by (0)
Presented to the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and other organizations (for a full list, see http://bcimeeting.org/2013/sponsors.html), June 3-7, 2013, Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, CA.
Supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (grant nos. 1R01DC009834, R13DC012744, EB00856) and the U.S. Department of Education (National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research) (grant no. H133G090005). Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies.
Disclosures: none.