A LabVIEW and P300 Speller Based Brain-Computer Interface for Controlling a Robotic Arm and a Mobile Robot by Using the GTEC Unicorn Headset

The Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is an innovator biomedical technology aimed at controlling external devices using electroencephalographic signals for helping people with neuromotor disabilities. The P300 Speller board is a recognized mental modality for experimenting the BCI systems requiring the users to focus their attention and eyesight on target flashing symbols and dark non-target items for transmitting commands to control assistive devices. This paper presents a BCI prototype developed in the LabVIEW programming environment for controlling a mechatronic system composed of a robotic arm and a mobile robot using the P300 evoked EEG biopotentials detected across the 8 sensors of the GTEC Unicorn headset. A customized P300 Speller board was designed for deciphering 12 commands executed by the mobile robot (setting directions: go forward, backward, turn left, turn right, go top left, go top right) and the robot arm (adjusting positions: open/close gripper, up, down, right, left). Experimental sessions were also executed for performance assessment of the entire BCI system.