Colloquium: Prof. Reza Fazel-Rezai

Biomedical Signal and Image Processing Laboratory
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of North Dakota

Communicating with the Environment through a Brain Computer Interface System

Friday, Feb 7, 2014 4:01pm-4:50pm

Communication and the ability to interact with the environment are basic human needs. Millions of people worldwide suffer from severe physical disabilities so that they cannot even meet these basic needs. Although they may have no motor mobility, the sensory and cognitive functions of the physically disabled are usually intact. Brain‐Computer Interface (BCI) systems allow communication based on a direct electronic interface which conveys messages and commands directly from the human brain to a computer. Majority of BCI systems rely on the electroencephalogram (EEG) signals to detect patterns of brain activity that reflect user intent, since EEG equipment is safe, portable, and requires relatively little preparation. BCI technology involves monitoring conscious brain electrical activity via EEG and detecting characteristics of EEG patterns via digital signal processing algorithms. It has the potential to enable the physically disabled to perform many activities, thus improving their quality of life and productivity, allowing them more independence and reducing social costs. The challenge with BCI, however, is to extract the relevant patterns from the EEG signals produced by the brain. In this talk, Dr. Fazel‐Rezai will discuss different approaches used in BCI systems and will present the recent results obtained by his team.