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Effective Nov. 1, 2023, clients and families, visitors, vendors and staff are required to wear a mask while moving throughout the hospital, including while in elevators, in spaces where clients receive care or participate in research. A medical grade mask will be available upon entry.

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Brain-Computer Interfaces

 Helping people with severe disabilities to communicate and interact with their environment

Introducing Brain-Computer Interfaces

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are state-of-the-art and user-centric technologies. For individuals with complex disabilities and who are non-verbal, BCIs open a new world of communication and meaningful participation in life activities.

Imagine the idea of controlling your environment, simply by thinking about it.  By harnessing thought-patterns, you can potentially eliminate barriers to communication.

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Demonstrating the Brain-Computer interface

 

How it works

BCIs translate brain activity into commands to control surrounding technology.  A collection of sensors detect brain activity and convert them into electrical signals which are processed by machine learning algorithms.  Once the desired type of brain response such as imagined speech, and/or emotional state is detected, the computer generates the corresponding control command.  Applications are numerous and can include independent mobility (e.g. driving a wheelchair), communication (e.g. assistive communication devices) or even participation in therapeutic arts.  BCIs create endless possibilities for intuitive, hands-free interaction with the world.

 

Acknowledgements

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada

 

Opportunity

We welcome sponsored research and partnership inquiries. To submit partnership proposals, please complete the intake form below:

Complete this form if you would like to explore potential licensing opportunities or if you would like to receive updates about Brain-Computer Interfaces.