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Brain-Computer Interface Controlling Cyborg: A Functional Brain-to-Brain Interface Between Human and Cockroach

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Brain-Computer Interface Research

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Abstract

A kind of cyborg was developed by surgically linking a portable microstimulator with the nerves of antennas of a live cockroach. Through applying specific micro electrical stimulation, the cyborg could be remotely controlled to make left and right turns. The motion intention could be retrieved from the human brain via brain-computer interface (BCI). Steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) based-electroencephalography (EEG), as a robust BCI, was used to translate human intention. By merging the technologies of cyborg and BCI, it was possible to guide a live cockroach with human brain. Experiments with different paradigms were designed and conducted to verify the performance of the proposed system. The experimental results showed that the average success rates of both human BCI and cyborg reactions in a single decision were over 85%. The cyborg could be steered successfully via the human brain to complete walking along pre-set tracks with a 20% success rate.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge the human and cockroach subjects from our laboratory, both past and present. In particular, we thank Jinming Zhang for assisting us in the experiments and preparing some of the figures.

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Correspondence to Dingguo Zhang .

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Li, G., Zhang, D. (2017). Brain-Computer Interface Controlling Cyborg: A Functional Brain-to-Brain Interface Between Human and Cockroach. In: Guger, C., Allison, B., Ushiba, J. (eds) Brain-Computer Interface Research. SpringerBriefs in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57132-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57132-4_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57132-4

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