There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

The power of feedback.

Due to the volume conduction multichannel electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings give a rather blurred image of brain activity. Therefore spatial filters are extremely useful in single-trial analysis in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. There are powerful methods from machine learning and signal processing that permit the optimization of spatio-temporal filters for each subject in a data dependent fashion beyond the fixed filters based on the sensor geometry, e.g., Laplacians. Here we elucidate the theoretical background of the common spatial pattern (CSP) algorithm, a popular method in brain-computer interface (BCD research. Apart from reviewing several variants of the basic algorithm, we reveal tricks of the trade for achieving a powerful CSP performance, briefly elaborate on theoretical aspects of CSP, and demonstrate the application of CSP-type preprocessing in our studies of the Berlin BCI (BBCI) project.

/pdf/optimizing-spatial-filters-for-robust-eeg-single-trial-5cszom9mem.pdf

Optimizing Spatial filters for Robust EEG Single-Trial Analysis

An intelligent automated assistant system engages with the user in an integrated, conversational manner using natural language dialog, and invokes external services when appropriate to obtain information or perform various actions. The system can be implemented using any of a number of different platforms, such as the web, email, smartphone, and the like, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the system is based on sets of interrelated domains and tasks, and employs additional functionally powered by external services with which the system can interact.

Intelligent Automated Assistant

A mobile terminal including a body; a touchscreen provided to a front and extending to side of the body and configured to display content; and a controller configured to detect one side of the body comes into contact with one side of an external terminal, display a first area on the touchscreen corresponding to a contact area of the body and the external terminal and a second area including the content, receive an input of moving the content displayed in the second area to the first area, display the content in the first area, and share the content in the first area with the external terminal.

Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same

Shoogle is a novel, intuitive interface for sensing data withina mobile device, such as presence and properties of textmessages or remaining resources. It is based around activeexploration: devices are shaken, revealing the contents rattlingaround "inside". Vibrotactile display and realistic impactsonification create a compelling system. Inertial sensingis used for completely eyes-free, single-handed interactionthat is entirely natural. Prototypes are described runningboth on a PDA and on a mobile phone with a wireless sensorpack. Scenarios of use are explored where active sensing ismore appropriate than the dominant alert paradigm.

/pdf/shoogle-excitatory-multimodal-interaction-on-mobile-devices-1igw90z328.pdf

Shoogle: excitatory multimodal interaction on mobile devices

SUMMARY: We present a novel typewriter application ‘Hex-o-Spell’ that is specifically tailored to the characteristics of direct brain-to-computer interaction. The high bandwidth at which a user may perceive information from the display is used in an appealing visualization based on hexagons. On the other hand the control of the application is possible at low bandwidth using only two control commands (mental states) and is relatively stable against delays and the like. The eectiveness and robustness of the interface was demonstrated at the CeBIT 2006 (world’s largest IT fair) where two subjects operated the mental typewriter at a speed of up to 7.6 char/min. It was developed within the Berlin BrainComputer Interface project in cooperation with specialists for Human Computer Interaction.

/pdf/the-berlin-brain-computer-interface-presents-the-novel-333r1ges2l.pdf

The berlin brain-computer interface presents the novel mental typewriter hex-o-spell

Speed Dependent Automatic Zooming proposed by Igarashi and Hinckley is a powerful tool for document navigation on mobile devices. We show that browsing and targeting can be facilitated by using a model-based sonification approach to generate audio feedback about document structure, in a tilt-controlled SDAZ interface. We implemented this system for a text browser on a Pocket PC instrumented with an accelerometer and headset, and found that audio feedback provided valuable information, supporting intermittent interaction, i.e. allowing movement-based interaction techniques to continue while the user is simultaneously involved with other tasks. This was demonstrated by a blindfolded user successfully locating specified elements in a text file.

/pdf/multimodal-feedback-for-tilt-controlled-speed-dependent-23x7mdtpwb.pdf

Multimodal feedback for tilt controlled speed dependent automatic zooming

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are systems capable of decoding neural activity in real time, thereby allowing a computer application to be directly controlled by the brain. Since the characteristics of such direct brain-to-computer interaction are limited in several aspects, one major challenge in BCI research is intelligent front-end design. Here we present the mental text entry application 'Hex-o-Spell' which incorporates principles of Human-Computer Interaction research into BCI feedback design. The system utilises the high visual display bandwidth to help compensate for the extremely limited control bandwidth which operates with only two mental states, where the timing of the state changes encodes most of the information. The display is visually appealing, and control is robust. The effectiveness and robustness of the interface was demonstrated at the CeBIT 2006 (world's largest IT fair) where two subjects operated the mental text entry system at a speed of up to 7.6 char/min.

/pdf/a-note-on-brain-actuated-spelling-with-the-berlin-brain-5ahbb38qfi.pdf

A note on brain actuated spelling with the Berlin brain-computer interface

Methods of manipulating graphical objects are described. One or more graphical objects are displayed in a fixed orientation with reference to a sensed reference direction. Manipulation is achieved by fixing the orientation or position of a displayed graphical object with reference to an apparatus, such as the display itself or a proxy device, detecting a change in orientation of that apparatus and editing the orientation of the graphical object based on the detected change.

John Williamson

Papers

Shoogle: excitatory multimodal interaction on mobile devices

The berlin brain-computer interface presents the novel mental typewriter hex-o-spell

Multimodal feedback for tilt controlled speed dependent automatic zooming

A note on brain actuated spelling with the Berlin brain-computer interface

Manipulation of Graphical Objects