Dynamic brain-machine interface: A novel paradigm for bidirectional interaction between brains and dynamical systems

Francois D. Szymanski*, Marianna Semprini, Ferdinando Mussa-Ivaldi, Luciano Fadiga, Stefano Panzeri, Alessandro Vato

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMIs) are systems which mediate communication between brains and artificial devices. Their long term goal is to restore motor functions, and this ultimately demands the development of a new generation of bidirectional brain-machine interfaces establishing a two-way brain-world communication channel, by both decoding motor commands from neural activity and providing feedback to the brain by electrical stimulation. Taking inspiration from how the spinal cord of vertebrates mediates communication between the brain and the limbs, here we present a model of a bidirectional brain-machine interface that interacts with a dynamical system by generating a control policy in the form of a force field. In our model, bidirectional communication takes place via two elements: (a) a motor interface decoding activities recorded from a motor cortical area, and (b) a sensory interface encoding the state of the controlled device into electrical stimuli delivered to a somatosensory area. We propose a specific mathematical model of the sensory and motor interfaces guiding a point mass moving in a viscous medium, and we demonstrate its performance by testing it on realistically simulated neural responses.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication33rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS 2011
Pages4592-4595
Number of pages4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 26 2011
Event33rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS 2011 - Boston, MA, United States
Duration: Aug 30 2011Sep 3 2011

Publication series

NameProceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS
ISSN (Print)1557-170X

Other

Other33rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS 2011
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBoston, MA
Period8/30/119/3/11

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
  • Signal Processing
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Health Informatics

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