Brain-Computer Interface: An Experimental Analysis of Performance Measurement

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) research and applications are radically progressing in a variety of fields and are appearing in products used by general consumers. As BCI becomes more prevalent, it is important to explore the array of human traits that may predict an individual's performance when using BCI technologies. This exploration designed and implemented and experiment, collecting and analyzing the data of (n=51) participants. Participants' performances were measured while manipulating a three-dimensional graphical object inside the Emotiv Xavier Control Panel Software, using the Emotiv EPOC+ non-invasive BCI headset. The measurements were interrelated to the participants' ability to control the BCI and contributed to the correlation among a variety of traits, including brain hemispheric dominance and Myers-Briggs personality type indicator. In essence, the experiment explored the correlations between performance and demographics. Inclusively, all demographics' performances were comparable, with low to no correlation between traits and performance; however, certain demographics performed on the extreme high and low ends of the spectrum. The preliminary results assert that a combination of human traits is being turned on and off in these individuals while using BCI technologies, affecting their performance. Ultimately, this type of exploratory experiment provides developers knowledge of the demographics that might benefit most from the BCI technologies, furthering insight on design and development strategies.