Domotics and Communication Abstract DomCo-BCI Strep call2

VII FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME - Abstract’s drafting

VII FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME - Abstract's drafting
Domotics and Communication
This STREP project aims to develop a system able to assist people affected by neuromotor pathologies like muscular dystrophy, that integrates BCI and domotics technologies.
This kind of patients may need assistance 24 hours a day, but they cannot be always hospitalized in an emergency unit, because their disease and the consequent disabling status become inexorable chronic and cannot be treated like a temporary impairment.
Thus, parents and relatives must take care of these patients at home, sometimes with the help of modern assistive instrumentation, but all these devices normally cannot be controlled directly by the patient according to his/her specific needs.
The absence of muscular effort of these patients is really a critical issue, but these functional impairments can be partially compensated by assistive systems based on BCIs (Brain-Computer Interfaces) and high tech domotic devices.
In order to convey commands to many domotic devices, DOMCO will allow these patients to use a non-muscular communication channel based on patient's biomedical signals related to brain activities and autonomic nervous control.
Thanks to a special Brain-Computer Interface, these patients will be able to take care of most management topics concerning the domotics ambient, improving their life quality and leaving to their relatives more time to live their lives without worries.
Exploiting non-invasive sensors, patient's mental status will be monitored and analyzed to measure his/her stress level during the interaction with the domotic environment. Anyway, to avoid disappointment and frustration, patient's training will be facilitated by an innovative game-based approach.
The combination of domotic solutions and interactive technologies based on patient's brain activity and stress monitoring will create an home environment more liveable than a hospital room for both patients and their relatives.
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The aim of DomCo is to offer people affected by neuromotor pathologies the means to become an active part of the network community while, at the same time, allowing the control of a suitable domotic system. By creating the appropriate user interface and solving the problems of use the brain for communication, DomCo will give target users the opportunity to use the main services provided by a domotic system, which will enhance their social integration. A home network system, including a collection of advanced sensors, will be connected to the Internet network to provide a continuous environment status control. In addition the system can be equipped with special sensors able to monitor the health status in order to prevent dangerous events and to respond when needed.
The main objective of the DomCo project is to perform the necessary research, development and validation for a more autonomous Life health system. The system is designed to monitor and to evaluate home network system using advanced bio-sensors. DomCo, will gather vital information from the sensors, analyze it and transmit the data to a remote Contact Centre, for further analysis and emergency care, using Internet infrastructure. The primary user group focused in DomCo will be elderly and disabled people.
BCI
A Brain-computer interface is a non-muscular communication channel for conveying commands to external devices. A BCI can provide the only means of communication for people affected by severe motor disabilities. All BCI systems include the following components: signal acquisition, feature extraction, translation algorithm, output devices, and an operating protocol that may include a software to present stimuli and/or feedback. Present-day EEG-based BCIs identify the intent of the user from a variety of electrophysiological signals. These signals include P300 evoked potentials, mu and beta rhythms in sensory motor cortex, and slow cortical potential. Once the EEG features have been extracted, they are translated into commands for external devices. A crucial aspect for the success of a BCI operation is related to a feedback mechanism between the user and the BCI system. The user should develop and maintain new skills that consist not of proper muscle control but rather of proper control of specific EEG signals. Thus, the BCI should translate that control into output that accomplishes the user's intent (1).
Future progress hinges on attention to a number of crucial factors.
* Increasing integration of interdisciplinary fields involving neurobiology, psychology, engineering, mathematics, computer science, and clinical rehabilitation;
* Identification of the signal features, that users are best able to control, like evoked potentials, spontaneous rhythms, synchronization and desyncronization.
* Development of methods for maximizing each user's control of these signal features in the prospective of personalizing classification and translation algorithms
* To explore the relation between normal brain output pathway for limb control and new BCI communication channels and the extent to which this interface depends on normal brain function
* To introduce reliable and precise procedures that evaluate BCI performance as objectively as possible both in long-term as well as short-term applications;
* identification of appropriate applications;
* To test BCIs not only in the laboratory but also in a typical everyday life application, e.g. in a domotic environment.
* To evaluate the user satisfaction with different interfaces usage. In particular, the primary emphasis should be on identifying and providing those BCI applications most successful and easy to use.

R. Wolpaw et al. / Clinical Neurophysiology 113 (2002) 767-791. 771
Game-Based Training
Game based applications in BCI is an emerging field, both for entertainment purposes and for educational and training. Simple games controlled by a BCI device have been already developed. Training and educational processes may be facilitated by a game based approach, taking advantage of a motivational environment and appropriate feedback (1,2). Games based applications should be designed to stimulate both curiosity and satisfaction as to promote learning. The goal of the games should be to improve subjects skills in controlling the device, practicing within a virtual environment so to avoid disappointing experiences in the real life situations.

Recent studies have shown that games that allow subjects to learn by doing are more effective in training (1) (Aldrich, 2005).
1. Aldrich, C. (2005). Pfeiffer: San Francisco, CA

Stress evaluation in BCI
Stress is a factor that may affect health, happiness and cognition (1-8). Problem solving coping skills and psychological stress have been found to be related (9-11). While eustress is physiological and allows to enhance one's performance during a task, distress has negative implications. In particular, a link has been found between problem solving deficit and psychological distress (12).
Moreover distress was related to a tendency to reduce or conserve mental effort (13).
Distress is a parameter concerned with subject performance during a task (14) and its estimation can be used to infer when there is a loss of subject control over performance.
The monitoring of subject stress may be useful to get additional information about mental state in brain computer interface applications as for biocybernetic control (15). Biocybernetic control aims at producing a real time response to subject mental state. So far, brain signals have been mainly processed to extract meaningful features in a totally devices control prospective. However, the analysis of a much wider mental state of the subject could help not only the BCI system control but also the assessment of subject's stress after task executions. Useful information can be derived from EEG signals as well as from other physiological measurements like EMG, SCR,HR, BP, EOG which optimally characterize subject distress. Nonetheless, in domotic system applications the subject stress level should be preferably evaluated integrating the information from the same EEG sensors employed for control purposes, with a reduced number of physiological signals as HR or SCR.
It is possible to conceive an interface that modulates its working operations or training strategies according to subject stress or frustration.
1. Segerstrom, S. C. et al. (2004) Psychol. Bull. 130, 601-630.
2. Cohen, S. et al. (1993) J. Personality Social Psychol. 64, 131-140.
3. Caspi, A.et al. (2003) Science 301, 386-389.
4. McEwen, B. S. et al. (1995) Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 5, 205-216.
5. Sapolsky, R. M. (2000) Neurobiol. Dis. 7, 540-542.
6. Bierhaus, A. et al. (2003) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 1920-1925.
7. Epel, E. S. et al. (2004) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, 17312-17315.
8. Charney, D. S. (2004) Am. J. Psychiatry 161, 195-216
9. Chang E, et al. (1996) Behavior Res Ther 34:185-194
10. D'Zurilla, T. et al. C (1991) J Pers Soc Psychol 61:841-846
11 D'Zurilla, T.. et al (2002) Multi- Health Systems, North Tonawanda
12. Stress and Health 17: 219-229 (2001)
13. Hockey, G.R.J., 1997. Biological Psychology 45, 73-93
14. Matthews, G., et al., Emotion, 2002. 2(4): p. 315-340
15. S.H. Fairclough, et al. Biological Psychology 71 (2006) 100-110

The project will allow participation in the information society to neuromotor pathologies through brain sensors, devices and services specifically designed and tailored for this category of the population. To achieve part of this objective, a survey of the user's needs and of available technology will be undertaken during the course of the project.
The domotic architecture of DomCo allows to adapt the home environment to the evolving user's needs. Devices can be removed, modified or added to assure better comfort and security conditions. All this plus the specialized interfaces combined with application of the ambient intelligence concept will enance the quality of life of target users.
DomCo will provide monitoring status at the point and time of need, which will give European elderly and disabled people more freedom of movement which will enhance their quality of life. At the same time, the system will physically protect them from hazards which will increase their safety.
The DomCo system will utilize the new advances in sensor technologies by using advanced BCI technology for monitoring.
Transmission of data over wireless communications makes the DOMCO system especially suitable for providing ..
In respect to multilingual diversity of the European Union, DOMCO will provide instructions and user interfaces in all major European languages. A European consumer will be able to select a language of his choice with a simple click of a button.
DomCo offers a new generation of services to the European citizen. The System will be dependable and will allow the user to have a more autonomous life.
DomCo will contribute to improving quality of life for many European consumers by allowing them to assume greater control over their own home. DOMCO can also be used in a preventive configuration, where consumers can carry the monitors for early warning of any possible health-threatening signs.
Flexible and smart devices (or technologies) adaptable to the human body can be plugged to DomCo in order to monitor various parameters and when needed communicate with remote health professional through its smart gateway.
The technical work will be divided in the following major tasks:
* Technical and market analysis;
* user requirements analysis
* System architectural design;
* realisation of the specific modules;
* User interface based on BCI (Brain Computer Interface) technologies;
* Home Networking System (domtics);
* Network interface - implementation and test of various protocols and wired and wireless connections;
* Services definition - definition and implementation of basic and new network specialised services;
* Integration, installation of testbeds in several (or just one?) users sites, user evaluation and prototype refinement.

The project will exploit the synergy of three major sectors:

* the user interface Brain Computer Interface;
* the home automation system (domotics)
* the communications using Internet technology.

DomCo will provide
- a viable domotic architecture useful for persons with muscular dystrophy
- a medical platform made up of components at home networking level, PDA and sensors
- one (or more?) demonstration for disabled and elderly people
Progress beyond the state of the art
Project's ability to represent a progress beyond the state of the art
Patent researches and publications' references
BCI
1.R. Wolpaw et al. / Clinical Neurophysiology 113 (2002) 767-791. 771
Stress evaluation in BCI
1. Segerstrom, S. C. et al. (2004) Psychol. Bull. 130, 601-630.
2. Cohen, S. et al. (1993) J. Personality Social Psychol. 64, 131-140.
3. Caspi, A.et al. (2003) Science 301, 386-389.
4. McEwen, B. S. et al. (1995) Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 5, 205-216.
5. Sapolsky, R. M. (2000) Neurobiol. Dis. 7, 540-542.
6. Bierhaus, A. et al. (2003) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 1920-1925.
7. Epel, E. S. et al. (2004) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, 17312-17315.
8. Charney, D. S. (2004) Am. J. Psychiatry 161, 195-216
9. Chang E, et al. (1996) Behavior Res Ther 34:185-194
10. D'Zurilla, T. et al. C (1991) J Pers Soc Psychol 61:841-846
11 D'Zurilla, T.. et al (2002) Multi- Health Systems, North Tonawanda
12. Stress and Health 17: 219-229 (2001)
13. Hockey, G.R.J., 1997. Biological Psychology 45, 73-93
14. Matthews, G., et al., Emotion, 2002. 2(4): p. 315-340
15. S.H. Fairclough, et al. Biological Psychology 71 (2006) 100-110

Game-Based Training
1. Aldrich, C. (2005). Pfeiffer: San Francisco, CA

ICT for patients at home
1.Hebert MA, Korabek B, Scott RE. "Moving research into practice: A decision framework for integrating home telehealth into chronic illness care." Int J Med Inform. 2006 Dec;75(12):786-94.
Nilsson C, Ohman M, Soderberg S. " Information and communication technology in supporting people with serious chronic illness living at home - an intervention study." J Telemed Telecare. 2006;12(4):198-202.

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