Abstract:
It has been known since long that the neuron cells in the brain produce quantifiable and
measurable electrical signals. Electroencephalography (EEG) refers to the measurement
and recording of these electrical signals by using sensors exhibited over the scalp. EEG
technology has been widely used in the medical field and is being researched to provide
assistance to the handicapped individuals allowing them control over devices through
brain signals. EEG signals and measurements have also been used as input to control
computers. The Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems find applications in prosthetic
devices, military and defense applications, gaming, virtual reality, robotic control and
many more. Despite significant research on exploiting brain signals for these applications,
such systems face a number of challenges including weak signal, delays between thoughts,
problems in extracting discriminant features, correct action selection, correct action execution,
similarity between signals generated by discriminant thoughts and the high cost of
associated hardware. This project is aimed at developing a BCI system to control a game,
a small step in the emerging field of Neuro-Gaming. We have employed the EEG device
called Emotiv EPOC which is a head-mounted hardware that senses EEG signals which
can be acquired through the accompanying API. The Emotiv API is interfaced with a game
that utilizes on different types of actions including gestures, moods and thoughts. Using
action and expression based controls, the developed system successfully provides game
control through brain signals.
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