An Optimal Transport Based Transferable System for Detection of Erroneous Somato-Sensory Feedback from Neural Signals

This study is aimed at the detection of single-trial feedback, perceived as erroneous by the user, using a transferable classification system while conducting a motor imagery brain–computer interfacing (BCI) task. The feedback received by the users are relayed from a functional electrical stimulation (FES) device and hence are somato-sensory in nature. The BCI system designed for this study activates an electrical stimulator placed on the left hand, right hand, left foot, and right foot of the user. Trials containing erroneous feedback can be detected from the neural signals in form of the error related potential (ErrP). The inclusion of neuro-feedback during the experiments indicated the possibility that ErrP signals can be evoked when the participant perceives an error from the feedback. Hence, to detect such feedback using ErrP, a transferable (offline) decoder based on optimal transport theory is introduced herein. The offline system detects single-trial erroneous trials from the feedback period of an online neuro-feedback BCI system. The results of the FES-based feedback BCI system were compared to a similar visual-based (VIS) feedback system. Using our framework, the error detector systems for both the FES and VIS feedback paradigms achieved an F1-score of 92.66% and 83.10%, respectively, and are significantly superior to a comparative system where an optimal transport was not used. It is expected that this form of transferable and automated error detection system compounded with a motor imagery system will augment the performance of a BCI and provide a better BCI-based neuro-rehabilitation protocol that has an error control mechanism embedded into it

Feature learning from incomplete EEG with denoising autoencoder

An alternative pathway for the human brain to communicate with the outside world is by means of a brain computer interface (BCI). A BCI can decode electroencephalogram (EEG) signals of brain activities, and then send a command or an intent to an external interactive device, such as a wheelchair. The effectiveness of the BCI depends on the performance in decoding the EEG. Usually, the EEG is contaminated by different kinds of artefacts (e.g., electromyogram (EMG), background activity), which leads to a low decoding performance. A number of filtering methods can be utilized to remove or weaken the effects of artefacts, but they generally fail when the EEG contains extreme artefacts. In such cases, the most common approach is to discard the whole data segment containing extreme artefacts. This causes the fatal drawback that the BCI cannot output decoding results during that time. In order to solve this problem, we employ the Lomb–Scargle periodogram to estimate the spectral power from incomplete EEG (after removing only parts contaminated by artefacts), and Denoising Autoencoder (DAE) for learning. The proposed method is evaluated with motor imagery EEG data. The results show that our method can successfully decode incomplete EEG to good effect

De animais a máquinas : humanos tecnicamente melhores nos imaginários de futuro da convergência tecnológica

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Departamento de Sociologia, 2020.O tema desta investigação é discutir os imaginários sociais de ciência e tecnologia que emergem a partir da área da neuroengenharia, em sua relação com a Convergência Tecnológica de quatro disciplinas: Nanotecnologia, Biotecnologia, tecnologias da Informação e tecnologias Cognitivas - neurociências- (CT-NBIC). Estas áreas desenvolvem-se e são articuladas por meio de discursos que ressaltam o aprimoramento das capacidades físicas e cognitivas dos seres humanos, com o intuito de construir uma sociedade melhor por meio do progresso científico e tecnológico, nos limites das agendas de pesquisa e desenvolvimento (P&D). Objetivos: Os objetivos nesse cenário, são discutir as implicações éticas, econômicas, políticas e sociais deste modelo de sistema sociotécnico. Nos referimos, tanto as aplicações tecnológicas, quanto as consequências das mesmas na formação dos imaginários sociais, que tipo de relações se estabelecem e como são criadas dentro desse contexto. Conclusão: Concluímos na busca por refletir criticamente sobre as propostas de aprimoramento humano mediado pela tecnologia, que surgem enquanto parte da agenda da Convergência Tecnológica NBIC. No entanto, as propostas de melhoramento humano vão muito além de uma agenda de investigação. Há todo um quadro de referências filosóficas e políticas que defendem o aprimoramento da espécie, vertentes estas que se aliam a movimentos trans-humanistas e pós- humanistas, posições que são ao mesmo tempo éticas, políticas e econômicas. A partir de nossa análise, entendemos que ciência, tecnologia e política estão articuladas, em coprodução, em relação às expectativas de futuros que são esperados ou desejados. Ainda assim, acreditamos que há um espaço de diálogo possível, a partir do qual buscamos abrir propostas para o debate público sobre questões de ciência e tecnologia relacionadas ao aprimoramento da espécie humana.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)The subject of this research is to discuss the social imaginaries of science and technology that emerge from the area of neuroengineering in relation with the Technological Convergence of four disciplines: Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information technologies and Cognitive technologies -neurosciences- (CT-NBIC). These areas are developed and articulated through discourses that emphasize the enhancement of human physical and cognitive capacities, the intuition it is to build a better society, through the scientific and technological progress, at the limits of the research and development (R&D) agendas. Objectives: The objective in this scenery, is to discuss the ethic, economic, politic and social implications of this model of sociotechnical system. We refer about the technological applications and the consequences of them in the formation of social imaginaries as well as the kind of social relations that are created and established in this context. Conclusion: We conclude looking for critical reflections about the proposals of human enhancement mediated by the technology. That appear as a part of the NBIC technologies agenda. Even so, the proposals of human enhancement go beyond boundaries that an investigation agenda. There is a frame of philosophical and political references that defend the enhancement of the human beings. These currents that ally to the transhumanism and posthumanism movements, positions that are ethic, politic and economic at the same time. From our analysis, we understand that science, technology and politics are articulated, are in co-production, regarding the expected and desired futures. Even so, we believe that there is a space of possible dialog, from which we look to open proposals for the public discussion on questions of science and technology related to enhancement of human beings

Actas de SABI2020

Los temas salientes incluyen un marcapasos pulmonar que promete complementar y eventualmente sustituir la conocida ventilación mecánica por presión positiva (intubación), el análisis de la marchaespontánea sin costosos equipamientos, las imágenes infrarrojas y la predicción de la salud cardiovascular en temprana edad por medio de la biomecánica arterial