The goal of this study was to assess the feasibility to
prototype a portable BCI controlled assistive robotic arm
exoskeleton. The device was successfully able to assist arm
movement in both arm flexion/extension and forearm
pronation/supination. The entire BCI system can be run
from a small laptop or netbook and when combined with the
exoskeleton the entire system weighs less than 4 kg. The
minimal weight combined with the comfort of the wireless
EEG headset proves sufficient portability. In addition, it
allows a stroke patient to use the device in the comfort of
their own home. Further, all system components together
cost less than 2000 dollars Canadian. This price point would
make the system accessible to the general public.
The software provided by Emotiv to run the BCI system
is user friendly and easy to operate. Any user familiar with
standard computer user interfaces or videogames could
easily setup and train the software for accurate results.
Future work will seek to develop a more sophisticated
BCI algorithm to further improve the performance of the
device.