Student demonstrator for teaching Brain-Computer Interfaces

One of the most exciting topics to teach to the students that follow the Biomechatronics lectures is Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). Its novelty as well as the sheer fact that one might control a computer via its brain waves is usually enough to guarantee implication. Unfortunately, there are no readily available student demonstrators on the market, which prompts the usage of research systems, and these are not easily configurable for laboratory demonstrations. This paper proposes two student demonstrators, describing the design process from conception, modelling, manufacturing and testing. The proposed demonstrators make use of the well-known motor-imagery BCI paradigm, one illustrating the basic principles, the other demonstrating a use-case as a rehabilitation upper-limb exerciser. The paper also reviews the current state of the art in the area of BCI systems for teaching.