Integration of Brain-Computer Interfaces with Alternative Augmentative Communication Systems

There are multiple systems and tools that enhance the communicative interactions, called Alternative and Augmentative Communication Systems (AACS). They are designed for people with severe speech or language difficulties. People who cannot communicate with others or that have great difficulty in doing so are usually dependent beings and suffer from social isolation. In critical situations, where no voluntary movements are available, Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) start to take part. BCI’s are devices that allow a person to interact with a computer using only their neuronal activity. BCI’s have been studied for more than 30 years, but their high error rate and the complexity of the systems have always been challenges when implementing functional real-life solutions. The current work includes a review of the BCI Emotiv Epoc, a wireless, low-end, EGC device that tries to bring medical-lab technology to the users’ home, as well as the development of a custom application to connect it to two well-known AACS: Plaphons and ACAT.