Cursor Control Brain Computer Interface
Cursor Control Brain Computer Interface
My project develops a brain-computer interface (BCI) for controlling a computer cursor using motor imagery (imagined body movements). Although using neural control may seem niche, this way of interfacing with technology is very significant for individualswith limited mobility or paralysis. A brain-computer interface is a new, accessible method for controlling computers that does not depend on the user’s physical abilities. With this advantage of brain-computer interfaces in mind, I have chosen to utilize motor imagery rather than physical movement to control the cursor.
At this system's core, a machine learning model interprets neural signals from an electroencephalography (EEG) cap and, from that, infers how the cursor should move. I created a pipeline for recording and processing that data so that it can be used as input for the model. The outputs of the model are commands for how the cursor should move.
From the user’s point of view, they imagine moving a part of their body to move the cursor For example, I could imagine moving my right arm and move the cursor to the right. This is a control method that has been used for many related works. Using machine learning, I will be able to classify brain activity as matching certain imagined movements.
A computer science major and psychology minor with an interest in brain-computer interfacing. Proposed the idea of creating a BCI for a senior project and is the student leading the development of this system.
Professor of computer science and data science at Calvin University with an interest in artificial intelligence, language models, and human-computer interaction. He is the computer science advisor for this project, assisting with any AI and programming related tasks.
Professor of psychology at Calvin University with an interest in neuroscience, particularly the corpus callosum and its role in the integration of activity between the left and right cerebral hemispheres. He has served as an advisor in this project by providing EEG equipment/software along with insights into working with neural signals and experimental design for determining how a user should interact with our system.