Towards BCI-actuated smart wheelchair system

Background: Electroencephalogram-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) represent novel human machine interactive technology that allows people to communicate and interact with the external world without relying on their peripheral muscles and nervous system. Among BCI systems, brain-actuated wheelchairs are promising systems for the rehabilitation of severely motor disabled individuals who are unable to control a wheelchair by conventional interfaces. Previous related studies realized the easy use of brain-actuated wheelchairs that enable people to navigate the wheelchair through simple commands; however, these systems rely on offline calibration of the environment. Other systems do not rely on any prior knowledge; however, the control of the system is time consuming. In this paper, we have proposed an improved mobile platform structure equipped with an omnidirectional wheelchair, a lightweight robotic arm, a target recognition module and an auto-control module. Based on the you only look once (YOLO) algorithm, our system can, in real time, recognize and locate the targets in the environment, and the users confirm one target through a P300-based BCI. An expert system plans a proper solution for a specific target; for example, the planned solution for a door is opening the door and then passing through it, and the auto-control system then jointly controls the wheelchair and robotic arm to complete the operation. During the task execution, the target is also tracked by using an image tracking technique. Thus, we have formed an easy-to-use system that can provide accurate services to satisfy user requirements, and this system can accommodate different environments. Results: To validate and evaluate our system, an experiment simulating the daily application was performed. The tasks included the user driving the system closer to a walking man and having a conversation with him; going to another room through a door; and picking up a bottle of water on the desk and drinking water. Three patients (cerebral infarction; spinal injury; and stroke) and four healthy subjects participated in the test and all completed the tasks. Conclusion: This article presents a brain-actuated smart wheelchair system. The system is intelligent in that it provides efficient and considerate services for users. To test the system, three patients and four healthy subjects were recruited to participate in a test. The results demonstrate that the system works smartly and efficiently; with this system, users only need to issue small commands to get considerate services. This system is of significance for accelerating the application of BCIs in the practical environment, especially for patients who will use a BCI for rehabilitation applications.