Improving the Accuracy and Training Speed of Motor Imagery Brain–Computer Interfaces Using Wavelet-Based Combined Feature Vectors and Gaussian Mixture Model-Supervectors

In this paper, we propose a set of wavelet-based combined feature vectors and a Gaussian mixture model (GMM)-supervector to enhance training speed and classification accuracy in motor imagery brain–computer interfaces. The proposed method is configured as follows: first, wavelet transforms are applied to extract the feature vectors for identification of motor imagery electroencephalography (EEG) and principal component analyses are used to reduce the dimensionality of the feature vectors and linearly combine them. Subsequently, the GMM universal background model is trained by the expectation–maximization (EM) algorithm to purify the training data and reduce its size. Finally, a purified and reduced GMM-supervector is used to train the support vector machine classifier. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated for three different motor imagery datasets in terms of accuracy, kappa, mutual information, and computation time, and compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms. The results from the study indicate that the proposed method achieves high accuracy with a small amount of training data compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms in motor imagery EEG classification

ECG Identification Based on Non-Fiducial Feature Extraction Using Window Removal Method

This study proposes electrocardiogram (ECG) identification based on non-fiducial feature extraction using window removal method, nearest neighbor (NN), support vector machine (SVM), and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). In the pre-processing stage, Daubechies 4 is used to remove the baseline wander and noise of the original signal. In the feature extraction and selection stage, windows are set at a time interval of 5 s in the preprocessed signal, while autocorrelation, scaling, and discrete cosine transform (DCT) are applied to extract and select features. Thereafter, the window removal method is applied to all of the generated windows to remove those that are unrecognizable. Lastly, in the classification stage, the NN, SVM, and LDA classifiers are used to perform individual identification. As a result, when the NN is used in the Normal Sinus Rhythm (NSR), PTB diagnostic, and QT database, the results indicate that the subject identification rates are 100%, 99.40% and 100%, while the window identification rates are 99.02%, 97.13% and 98.91%. When the SVM is used, all of the subject identification rates are 100%, while the window identification rates are 96.92%, 95.82% and 98.32%. When the LDA is used, all of the subject identification rates are 100%, while the window identification rates are 98.67%, 98.65% and 99.23%. The proposed method demonstrates good results with regard to data that not only includes normal signals, but also abnormal signals. In addition, the window removal method improves the individual identification accuracy by removing windows that cannot be recognized

Improving the Usability of a Wearable Input Device SCURRY TM

In this paper, a finger-click recognition method is proposed to improve the recognition performance for finger-clicking of a wearable input device, called SCURRY™. The proposed method is composed of three parts including feature extraction part, valid click discrimination part, and cross-talk avoidance part. Two types of MEMS inertial sensors are embedded into the wearable input device to measure the angular velocity of a hand (hand movement) and the acceleration rates at the ends of fingers (finger-click motion). The experiment applied to the SCURRY ™ device shows the improved stability and performance

Traffic Sign Recognition Evaluation for Senior Adults Using EEG Signals

Elderly people are not likely to recognize road signs due to low cognitive ability and presbyopia. In our study, three shapes of traffic symbols (circles, squares, and triangles) which are most commonly used in road driving were used to evaluate the elderly drivers’ recognition. When traffic signs are randomly shown in HUD (head-up display), subjects compare them with the symbol displayed outside of the vehicle. In this test, we conducted a Go/Nogo test and determined the differences in ERP (event-related potential) data between correct and incorrect answers of EEG signals. As a result, the wrong answer rate for the elderly was 1.5 times higher than for the youths. All generation groups had a delay of 20–30 ms of P300 with incorrect answers. In order to achieve clearer differentiation, ERP data were modeled with unsupervised machine learning and supervised deep learning. The young group’s correct/incorrect data were classified well using unsupervised machine learning with no pre-processing, but the elderly group’s data were not. On the other hand, the elderly group’s data were classified with a high accuracy of 75% using supervised deep learning with simple signal processing. Our results can be used as a basis for the implementation of a personalized safe driving system for the elderly