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STUDY PROTOCOL article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain-Computer Interfaces
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1448584
This article is part of the Research Topic Recent Applications of Noninvasive Physiological Signals and Artificial Intelligence View all 4 articles

Evaluating the real-world usability of BCI control systems with augmented reality: A user study protocol

Provisionally accepted
Arnau Dillen Arnau Dillen 1,2,3*Mohsen Omidi Mohsen Omidi 3,4Maria A. Diaz Pinilla Maria A. Diaz Pinilla 1,3Fakhreddine Ghaffari Fakhreddine Ghaffari 2Bart Roelands Bart Roelands 1,3Bram Vanderborght Bram Vanderborght 3,4Olivier ROMAIN Olivier ROMAIN 2Kevin De Pauw Kevin De Pauw 1,3*
  • 1 Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
  • 2 UMR8051 Equipes Traitement de l'Information et Systèmes (ETIS), Cergy-Pontoise, Île-de-France, France
  • 3 Brussels Human Robotics Research Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
  • 4 Independent researcher, Brussels, Belgium

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) enable users to control devices through their brain activity. Motor imagery (MI), the neural activity resulting from an individual imagining performing a movement, is a common control paradigm. This study introduces a user-centric evaluation protocol for assessing the performance and user experience of an MI-based BCI control system utilizing augmented reality. Augmented reality is employed to enhance user interaction by displaying environment-aware actions, and guiding users on the necessary imagined movements for specific device commands. One of the major gaps in existing research is the lack of comprehensive evaluation methodologies, particularly in real-world conditions. To address this gap, our protocol combines quantitative and qualitative assessments across three phases. In the initial phase, the BCI prototype's technical robustness is validated. Subsequently, the second phase involves a performance assessment of the control system. The third phase introduces a comparative analysis between the prototype and an alternative approach, incorporating detailed user experience evaluations through questionnaires and comparisons with non-BCI control methods. Participants engage in various tasks, such as object sorting, picking and placing, and playing a board game using the BCI control system. The evaluation procedure is designed for versatility, intending applicability beyond the specific use case presented. Its adaptability enables easy customization to meet the specific user requirements of the investigated BCI control application. This usercentric evaluation protocol offers a comprehensive framework for iterative improvements to the BCI prototype, ensuring technical validation, performance assessment, and user experience evaluation in a systematic and user-focused manner. 1 Dillen et al. Evaluating the real-world usability of BCI control systems with augmented reality

    Keywords: Brain-computer interface, eye tracking, augmented reality, robot control, user evaluation, User Experience

    Received: 13 Jun 2024; Accepted: 18 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Dillen, Omidi, Diaz Pinilla, Ghaffari, Roelands, Vanderborght, ROMAIN and De Pauw. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Arnau Dillen, Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
    Kevin De Pauw, Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.