Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION BRINDISYS PROJECT

The assistance system developed in the context of the Brindisys project is a device consisting of two main modules.

1.The intelligence system is provided by a tablet: by an accessible interface the user can access the communication functions (writing and speech) or control home automation devices (lights, TV, motorized bed, etc). The interface with which the choices are presented has been designed for maximum accessibility. The user can interact with the system using the touch screen, or using other input devices (joysticks, buttons, microswitches) more suitable for use in the presence of weakness. The dimensions are about 30x20 cm, the thickness is 1.5 cm, the weight is less than 1 kg.

2.The second module is a brain-computer interface (BCI), i.e. an apparatus to detect the user's commands directly from the brain activity, without the use of any muscle. In turn, the BCI includes: (i) a cap of electrodes that collect the electrical signals generated by the brain, (ii) a wearable device, with certification of electromedical device, for the amplification of the electrical signals and their conversion for the subsequent digital processing, (iii) a small hardware device designed with dedicated electronics that performs the processing of the BCI, and communicates the user's choice to the tablet. The BCI module is lightweight and completely wearable.

The second prototype will be developed taking into account the outcome of an initial validation with users, currently underway, the new release is planned for October.

Originalityof the Brindisys project

  1. TheBCImodule, completelyrealizedin hardware, is suitable forindustrial transfer. Inothersimilar projectstheBCI is implemented bysoftware thatrunson a personalcomputer.
  2. Theassistance systemisdesigned to accompanythe patientwith ALSin thecourse of his illness. Inotherprojectsthis is anapplication builtaround theBCI, making the systemusable onlyat an advanced stageofdisease (theBCI isintrinsically slowerthan any otherinput mode).
  3. Theproject providesan importantinvolvementofusers(people with ALS, family members andprofessionalsof AssistiveTechnologies), both in therecognitionofspecification and inthe validation phase. Whiletrialswith peoplewith (severe) mobilitylimitationare part of aresearch protocolof the laboratory,Brindisysis the only projectin Europein whichpeople with ALSare involvedin the validation ofaBCI aid-based.

Continuity and change compared to previous projects

The Brindisys project is part of the research on BCI that is conducted by Saint Lucia Foundation since 1998. During this period, a multidisciplinary research team dedicated to research on different aspects of these systems: the development of new methods of EEG signal processing, the creation of new user interfaces (visual or multisensory) to improve 'usability of the device, the assessment of cognitive load of the user, the use of BCI in neuromotor rehabilitation. Besides basic research, projects with the purpose of using BCI as aids for severe motor disability are sustained.

  • In the period 2004-2006, thanks to a Telethon-UILDM grant (ASPICEproject) it has been shown that people with Duchenne dystrophy or spinal muscular atrophy could benefit from a technological aid for the implementation of certain devices in the houses and the control of a small robot. A BCI (composed of a Personal Computer and expensive research amplifiers) was used to send simple commands "binary" (yes / no) to allow the user to navigate a menu of options. With the Brindisys project it was taken the design of an aidsystem that also uses a BCI. The system currently under development, however, is based on more sophisticated technology: miniaturized BCI (and wearable) and industry-standard home automation system (likely already installed in newly homes). It also has a specific focus on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, from which the modularity as a strategy to follow the changing conditions of the patient. The role of users has become crucial in the design (User Centered Design) through their involvement in the earliest stages of ideation, and in the project progress that involves the development and validation of different interactions with the patients.
  • Most recently, the use of BCI technology has been demonstrated in a project funded by the European Commission (SM4All, 2008-2011), aimed at developing next-generation automation infrastructure. The project demonstrator has been set up at the "Easy Home" of the Saint Lucia Foundation. In the same place we held the first round of Brindisys project validation, thereby taking advantage of the automation installed in the apartment. Unlike the demonstrator SM4All, the Brindisys BCI has been simplified to allow the use outside of a research environment, and domotic technology has been redesigned favoring the ruggedness and reliability than the novelty (which was typical of a project on Smart Homes).
  • It is currently ongoing the TOBI project, also funded by the European Commission. One of this project activity is to develop a BCI software to increase the accessibility of commercial programs already designed for the communication aids use. While benefiting from synergies with the TOBI project, Brindisys intends to move beyond the concept of a prototype pivoted on BCI, but rather considers the BCI as an element of a universal accessibility aid system. Brindisys proposes the development of an independent BCI device, to be used without the need of personal computer. Furthermore, the TOBI project resources will not allow an extensive validation with the end users, which is instead one of the primary objectives of Brindisys.

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