Graz, Austria, February 3-4, 2010

Integrating Brain-Computer Interfaces with Conventional Assistive Technology

Brain-computer interaction (BCI) systems are aimed primarily at providing communication for severely disabled users. Most indications are that the field is booming, with a huge increase in papers, research groups, conferences and workshops, and media attention. However, the number of people that actually need BCIs and rely on them for communication can be counted on two hands. A major reason for this failure to help the main BCI target market is the lack of integration between BCIs and existing assistive technologies (ATs). 

TOBI is a large European integrated project that will develop practical technology for BCI that will improve the quality of life of disabled people and the effectiveness of rehabilitation. TOBI will design non-invasive BCI prototypes that will be combined with existing ATs and rehabilitation protocols. Users will be able to couple brain interaction with muscle-based interaction or can naturally switch between the different ways of interacting. TOBI will broaden the appropriate use of BCI by incorporating adaptive capabilities that augment other ATs. 

TOBI is happy to announce the first workshop, which will focus on the emerging challenges of integrating BCIs with other ATs and physiological signals. We encourage submissions for posters that describe working systems that ideally combine BCIs and other ATs, present opportunities or concerns, establish guidelines or roadmaps, or otherwise contribute to future possibilities in BCI-AT integration.