is it possible to write a word, a sentence with a p300 scenario?

Working with OpenViBE signal processing scenarios and doing scenario/BCI design
Post Reply
etc
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2020 4:33 pm

is it possible to write a word, a sentence with a p300 scenario?

Post by etc »

Sorry for my bad English!
I am dad to a Laura, a disabled girl. I am using Openbci hardware and Openvibe software.
I am tryng to learn to use an openvibe scenario BCI (P300 speller); my target is that Laura can write by this scenario an her word, an her sentence. Now, I see that in p300-speller-3-online I can only try to indicate the blu letter that I have to focus on. I didn't find how to write a letter, a word, a sentece that I want to write.
Is it possible to write something that I want to write or is it only possible to train to write the letter that the software indicates to me?
If it is not possible, how can I do to help Laura?
Thank you very much and ... sorry for my English!
Ettore

fabien.lotte
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2010 12:58 pm

Re: is it possible to write a word, a sentence with a p300 scenario?

Post by fabien.lotte »

Dear Ettore,

Welcome here and thank you for your interest in OpenViBE!

Regarding the P300-speller in OpenViBE, indeed, the provided scenario are for "copy-spelling mode" only, that is, the application tells the user what to do and then the user tries to spell the required letters using the BCI.
If you want to use the system for "free spelling" (that is what you want, is that right?), to spell any letter you can (after you have calibrated and trained the P300-BCI using the previous scenario. By the way, the XDAWN-P300 speller should be more robust, see http://openvibe.inria.fr/p300-speller-xdawn/):
- use the exact same scenario but just ignore the blue letters, and spell whatever you want. The letters displayed are just here for instructions, but the BCI itself will try to decode whatever the user is doing. So you can just look at which letters are being recognized by the BCI (independently of the blue letters)
- if you don't want to see the blue letters, you should modify a bit the last scenario (the P300speller-online). You can for instance try to disconnect the "target letter generation" box from the "P300 speller visualization" (I have not tried, it is just a guess, so you 'll need to try to see if this works)

Otherwise please find below some alternative spellers and documentation that you may find useful to help your daughter:
- the CoAdapt-P300speller: http://openvibe.inria.fr/coadapt-p300-s ... -tutorial/. See also here for more documentation, specifically with the OpenBCI that you are using: http://blog.jfrey.info/2015/02/04/openbci-p300-coadapt/

- Another speller, but a commercial one (so not free, but maybe better packaged :-)): http://www.biosignal.at/Intendix/intendix_speller.htm

- I don't know how much you know about the P300-speller, so in case you need to learn more about how this works, you can, for instance, check the following papers: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/082a/6 ... b1063c.pdf or https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/view ... s_research (these are just some examples, there are many papers on that topic)

I hope this helps!

Best
Fabien

etc
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2020 4:33 pm

Re: is it possible to write a word, a sentence with a p300 scenario?

Post by etc »

Dear Fabien,
you were very very very gentle!!! You helped me, with the right instructions to "free spell" (sorry for my bad English) and with other very useful suggestions!!!
I want to tell you thank you for the solution to the problem ("free spelling") and also for the other suggestions!!!
About the other very useful suggestions (very useful because for me it is important the target: To see Laura to write an her sentence!):
1) I understood that for you is better to try now with XDAWN-P300 speller and not with the p300 speller; am I right?
2) I understood that the best Opnevibe scenario is the CoAdapt-P300speller; but I read that it is necessary the Opnevibe v.0.18; I am using the V.2.2.0: do you think that is it a good think (and possible...) to download the old version to use CoAdapt-P300 speller?
3) I got products from Openbci (electrodes, Cyton board, Ultracortex Mark IV, etc...). Is the solution at your link ( http://www.biosignal.at/Intendix/intendix_speller.htm) hw+sw or can I buy only the Speller (as software, instead of open software)?

fabien.lotte
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2010 12:58 pm

Re: is it possible to write a word, a sentence with a p300 scenario?

Post by fabien.lotte »

I answer your questions below:

1) I understood that for you is better to try now with XDAWN-P300 speller and not with the p300 speller; am I right?

Yes indeed, the XDAWN-P300 uses a better signal processing algorithm, so it should be more reliable, more robust

2) I understood that the best Opnevibe scenario is the CoAdapt-P300speller; but I read that it is necessary the Opnevibe v.0.18; I am using the V.2.2.0: do you think that is it a good think (and possible...) to download the old version to use CoAdapt-P300 speller?

Well the CoAdapt-P300Speller is indeed supposed to be better, but it may have had some stability/compatibility issues if I remember well (not sure though, I did not use it myself), so that is why it is only supported by some older versions of OpenViBE. But you can download older openvibe versions on the openvibe website, so you can still use it with one of the old versions indeed.

3) I got products from Openbci (electrodes, Cyton board, Ultracortex Mark IV, etc...). Is the solution at your link ( http://www.biosignal.at/Intendix/intendix_speller.htm) hw+sw or can I buy only the Speller (as software, instead of open software)?

This Intendix product is a commercial system that includes both the hardware (EEG device and electrodes) and the software (P300-speller), and I think it is probably a bit expensive. I don't think you can use it with a different hardware though (you should ask the company selling that)

hope this helps
Best
Fabien

etc
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2020 4:33 pm

Re: is it possible to write a word, a sentence with a p300 scenario?

Post by etc »

Fabien,
thank you very much!!!

Post Reply