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Saulnier, P., Sharlin, E. and Greenberg, S. (2009)
Using brain-robot interfaces for controlling implicit social patterns. In Workshop on Brain Machine Interfaces for Neuroprostheses and Robot Control, held at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. (Kobe, Japan), 3 pages plus poster, May 12.
Type: Refereed workshop.
See also: somewhat similar version published in HRI 2009.
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Abstract.
The concept of ‘brain-computer interaction’ involves one or two-way communication between a human brain, and an external computer device. Our particular interest is in how such a system could be used to subtly influence robot behaviour in less direct implicit ways. Our preliminary research presented explores a limited use of brain-computer interaction to control the implicit behaviour patterns of an iRobot Roomba vacuum cleaner robot. In particular, we used the OCZ NIA neural impulse actuator, an off-the-shelf, low-cost commercial interface designed for video game use that reads bioelectrical signals via the forehead. We linked this input device to the iRobot Roomba to facilitate behavioural control, where a person’s emotional state was crudely inferred based on the brain interface output signal state, and the robot adjusted its behaviour in attempt to fit that person’s emotional state.