A high-performance brain–computer interface for finger decoding and quadcopter game control in an individual with paralysis

People with paralysis express unmet needs for peer support, leisure activities and sporting activities. Many within the general population rely on social media and massively multiplayer video games to address these needs. We developed a high-performance, finger-based brain-computer-interface system allowing continuous control of three independent finger groups, of which the thumb can be controlled in two dimensions, yielding a total of four degrees of freedom. The system was tested in a human research participant with tetraplegia due to spinal cord injury over sequential trials requiring fingers to reach and hold on targets, with an average acquisition rate of 76 targets per minute and completion time of 1.58…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

  Award: A2295R
• MG
  Massachusetts General Hospital
• OO
  Office of Research and Development
• NI
  National Institutes of Health
• WT
  Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University
• NI
  National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

  Awards: U01-DC017844, R01-DC014034, DC017844