Publications by Tom Edward Carlson

Towards Independence: A BCI Telepresence Robot for People with Severe Motor Disabilities

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Luca Tonin, Robert Leeb, Tom Edward Carlson

This paper presents an important step forward towards increasing the independence of people with severe motor disabilities, by using brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to harness the power of the Internet of Things. We analyze the stability of brain signals a ...

Ieee-Inst Electrical Electronics Engineers Inc2015

Prediction of Command Delivery Time for BCI

Ricardo Andres Chavarriaga Lozano, José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Sareh Saeedi, Tom Edward Carlson, Inaki Asier Iturrate Gil

One of the challenges in using brain computer interfaces over extended periods of time is the uncertainty in the system. This uncertainty can be due to the user's internal states, the non stationarity of the brain signals, or the variation of the class dis ...

2014

Improving Skills and Perception in Robot Navigation by an Augmented Virtuality Assistance System

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Tom Edward Carlson, Tomas de Jesus Mateo Sanguino

Successful navigation in a teleoperation scenario requires a good level of situational or environmental awareness. This paper presents the main features and capabilities of a new augmented virtuality-based system aimed at providing users with improved perc ...

Springer Verlag2014

Transferring BCI skills to successful application controls

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Alberto Molina Arribere, Luca Tonin, Serafeim Perdikis, Robert Leeb, Andrea Biasiucci, Marco Creatura, Tom Edward Carlson

The goal of our research is to enable various end-users to control applications by using a brain-computer interface (BCI). Since applications–like telepresence robots, wheelchairs or text entry systems–are quite demanding a good level of BCI control is nee ...

2013

Transferring brain-computer interfaces beyond the laboratory: Successful application control for motor-disabled users

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Alberto Molina Arribere, Luca Tonin, Michele Tavella, Serafeim Perdikis, Robert Leeb, Andrea Biasiucci, Marco Creatura, Tom Edward Carlson

OBJECTIVES: Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are no longer only used by healthy participants under controlled conditions in laboratory environments, but also by patients and end-users, controlling applications in their homes or clinics, without the BCI exp ...

Elsevier2013

Making the most of context-awareness in brain-computer interfaces

Ricardo Andres Chavarriaga Lozano, José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Sareh Saeedi, Tom Edward Carlson

In order for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to be used reliably for extended periods of time, they must be able to adapt to the users evolving needs. This adaptation should not only be a function of the environmental (external) context, but should also c ...

2013

On the Need for Both Internal and External Context Awareness for Reliable BCIs

Ricardo Andres Chavarriaga Lozano, José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Sareh Saeedi, Tom Edward Carlson

In this paper we argue that for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to be used reliably for extended periods of time, they must be able to adapt to the user’s evolving needs. This adaptation should not only be a function of the environmental (external) contex ...

2013

Brain-Controlled Wheelchairs: A Robotic Architecture

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Tom Edward Carlson

Independent mobility is core to being able to perform activities of daily living by oneself. However, powered wheelchairs are not an option for a large number of people who are unable to use conventional interfaces, due to severe motor–disabilities. Non-in ...

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers2013

Brain-Actuated Assistive Mobility For Disabled End-User

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Luca Tonin, Robert Leeb, Tom Edward Carlson

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have been successfully used to control assistive mobility devices (like a telepresence robot or an electric wheelchair) using only motor imagery. Importantly, disabled end-users are able to achieve similar performances as h ...

De Gruyter2013

Brain-Machine Interfaces: Progress in Large Clinical Validation

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Luca Tonin, Serafeim Perdikis, Robert Leeb, Andrea Biasiucci, Tom Edward Carlson

Brain-machine interfaces (BMI) have largely been demonstrated in laboratory conditions involving, mainly, healthy users. We have recently carried out a series of studies with a substantial number of motor-disabled end-users operating different brain-contro ...

2013

A Hybrid BCI for Enhanced Control of a Telepresence Robot

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Luca Tonin, Serafeim Perdikis, Robert Leeb, Tom Edward Carlson

Motor-disabled end users have successfully driven a telepresence robot in a complex environment using a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). However, to facilitate the interaction aspect that underpins the notion of telepresence, users must be able to voluntari ...

2013

Driving a BCI Wheelchair: A Patient Case Study

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Guillaume Monnard, Robert Leeb, Tom Edward Carlson

Our brain-actuated wheelchair uses shared control to couple the user input with the contextual information about the surroundings in order to perform natural manoeuvres both safely and efficiently. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of using our ...

2012

The Birth of the Brain–Controlled Wheelchair

Ricardo Andres Chavarriaga Lozano, José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Robert Leeb, Tom Edward Carlson

The prospect of controlling devices merely by the power of one’s thoughts is compelling, especially for assistive technology applications. In the accompanying video, we show how we have strived to push brain–computer interface (BCI) technology out of the l ...

2012

Online Modulation of the Level of Assistance in Shared Control Systems

Ricardo Andres Chavarriaga Lozano, José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Robert Leeb, Tom Edward Carlson

In this paper we propose a method to modulate the level of assistance provided by a shared controller, not only given the environmental context, but also according to the context of the user’s current behaviour. We show that the enhanced situational contex ...

2012

BCI Telepresence: A Six Patient Evaluation

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Luca Tonin, Robert Leeb, Tom Edward Carlson

In this paper we present the results of six motor-disabled patients manoeuvring a telepresence robot via a BCI. Remarkably, although five of the patients had never visited the location where the telepresence robot was operating, they achieved similar perfo ...

2012

Interaction and Evaluation of an Augmented Virtuality Assistance System for Teleoperated Robots

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Tom Edward Carlson, Tomas de Jesus Mateo Sanguino

This paper presents the main features and capabilities of a developed system based on augmented virtuality (AV), which is devoted to the assisted navigation of teleoperated robots. The goal is to provide users with a greater perception of the robot navigat ...

2012

Evaluation of Proportional and Discrete Shared Control Paradigms for Low Resolution User Inputs

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Guillaume Monnard, Robert Leeb, Tom Edward Carlson

For people with severe physical disabilities, low resolution input devices, such as buttons, sip and puff switches and brain–computer interfaces provide an opportunity to interact with the world. However, it can be difficult to control assistive technology ...

IEEE2011

Vision-Based Shared Control for a BCI Wheelchair

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Guillaume Monnard, Tom Edward Carlson

Brain-actuated wheelchairs offer paraplegics the potential to gain a degree of independence in performing activities of daily living. It is not currently possible to achieve precise proportional control of devices using the low resolution output of a brain ...

2011

Are we ready? Issues in transferring BCI technology from experts to users

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Luca Tonin, Michele Tavella, Serafeim Perdikis, Robert Leeb, Andrea Biasiucci, Tom Edward Carlson

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are no longer only used by healthy subjects under control conditions in laboratory environments, but by patients controlling applications at their homes, without the BCI experts around. But are the technology and the field ...

Verlag der Technischen Universitaet Graz2011