Towards an Eye-Brain-Computer Interface: Combining Gaze with the Stimulus-Preceding Negativity

Gaze-assisted interaction techniques enable intuitive selections without requiring manual pointing but can result in unintended selections, known as Midas touch.

Overview

Authors: G S Rajshekar Reddy, Michael J Proulx, Leanne Hirshfield, Anthony Ries

Publication Date: 11 May 2024

Link: https://dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3613904.3641925

Keywords: Human-centered computing, Virtual reality, Mixed / augmented reality, Accessibility technologies, Interaction techniques

Type: Peer-Reviewed Journals/White Papers

Summary

Gaze-assisted interaction techniques enable intuitive selections without requiring manual pointing but can result in unintended selections, known as Midas touch. A confirmation trigger eliminates this issue but requires additional physical and conscious user effort. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), particularly passive BCIs harnessing anticipatory potentials such as the Stimulus-Preceding Negativity (SPN) - evoked when users anticipate a forthcoming stimulus - present an effortless implicit solution for selection confirmation. Within a VR context, our research uniquely demonstrates that SPN has the potential to decode intent towards the visually focused target. This work reinforce the scientific understanding of its mechanism by addressing a confounding factor - it demonstrates that the SPN is driven by the user’s intent to select the target, not by the stimulus feedback itself. Furthermore, it examines the effect of familiarly placed targets, finding that SPN may be evoked quicker as users acclimatize to target locations; a key insight for everyday BCIs.