New record in brain-controlled typing challenge: 69 Chinese characters can be output per minute

Without using hands or keyboard, just relying on thoughts, 691.55 bits can be output on the computer screen per minute, which is equivalent to 69 Chinese characters per minute.

Output 691.55 bits per minute, the highest score in the brain-controlled typing record challenge.

Just now, China set a new record for typing using brain-computer interface technology at the 3rd China Brain-Computer Interface Competition!

The 2019 World Robot Conference was held in Beijing from August 20 to 25. The "BCI Brain-Controlled Robot Competition and the 3rd China Brain-Computer Interface Competition" was one of the most popular events held during the conference.

The brain-controlled wheelchair demonstrated at the 2019 World Robot Conference directly controls the movement of the wheelchair using brain waves.

Let me first briefly introduce the competition.

Gao Xiaorong, deputy director of the expert committee of the brain-computer interface competition and professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering of the School of Medicine of Tsinghua University, said in an interview with reporters that the third China Brain-Computer Interface Competition is divided into skill competition and technical competition. A total of more than 2,000 people participated in the preliminary round of the skill competition, and 40 players entered the finals. At the same time, more than 400 teams participated in the preliminary round of the technical competition, and 16 teams entered the finals.

After several days of fierce competition, the skills competition selected the best brain control player from 40 finalists, and the technical competition selected the team that provided the best brain-computer interface algorithm from 16 finalist teams.

On the morning of the 24th, the brain-controlled typing record challenge officially began: the best brain-controlled players were asked to use the best brain-computer interface algorithm to challenge new brain-controlled records. This is like asking the best racing driver to drive the best car to challenge the racing record.

Brain-controlled typing record challenge scene

A total of three contestants participated in the brain-controlled typing challenge, including this year's champion, runner-up, and last year's champion. The best brain-computer interface algorithm came from a joint team of researchers from the University of Macau and the University of Hong Kong.

The creator of this challenge record is also the champion of this year's China Brain-Computer Interface Competition - Wei Siwen, a second-year graduate student from the Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation Laboratory of the School of Precision Instruments of Tianjin University.

The creator of this brain-controlled typing record is Wei Siwen, a student from the School of Precision Instruments of Tianjin University.

On the 23rd, Wei Siwen won the championship with a brain-controlled typing speed of more than 500 bits per minute. On the 24th, she broke her own record with a brain-controlled typing speed of 691.55 bits per minute.

You know, the average typing speed on a touch-screen phone is 600 bits per minute. In other words, the fastest typing speed of this contestant using brain waves can exceed that of an average person using a touch-screen phone.

Of course, the record was also achieved thanks to a powerful brain-computer interface algorithm. Professor Wan Feng of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Macau and Professor Hu Yong of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong said in an interview that the brain-computer interface algorithm developed by the research teams of the University of Macau and the University of Hong Kong applied advanced machine learning methods and adaptive optimization strategies.

Wan Feng and Hu Yong introduced that by setting up the system, the contestants can achieve even faster brain-controlled typing, but this will increase the contestants' brain fatigue. Tests have shown that using this algorithm, ordinary people can type at a speed of 200 to 300 bits per minute using brain waves, which is about 20 Chinese characters.

"The brain-computer interface paradigm used in the Brain-Controlled Typing Recording Challenge is the SSVEP paradigm, which is a brain-computer interface paradigm independently developed by Chinese researchers. It has been listed as one of the three major paradigms in the international brain-computer interface field, along with the P300 paradigm proposed by American researchers and the motor imagery paradigm proposed by European researchers." Gao Xiaorong told reporters.

The EEG caps used by the contestants are non-invasive brain-computer interface devices.

Wu Haolin, a research assistant at Tsinghua University School of Medicine and a staff member of the event preparation, said that under this paradigm, the characters on the screen are encoded at different frequencies. When the contestants wear EEG caps to look at the flashing characters on the screen, different frequencies bring different visual stimulations, thus generating different brain wave signals. After the brain-computer interface device captures and recognizes the brain wave signals, it will output the target characters on the screen.

Staff inject conductive paste into the EEG cap to reduce the resistance of transmitting EEG signals.

What will be the future use of typing using brain waves?

In Wan Feng's view, the application scenarios in the future will be very wide. For example, astronauts may need to perform multiple operations at the same time in a spacecraft, so they can use brain waves to give instructions, freeing up their hands to perform other operations.

For example, in an electronic game scenario, when players are competing, they do not need to use a mouse or keyboard. They only need to stare at the "enemy" on the screen to attack it.

"At present, the application of brain-computer interfaces in practical fields is not particularly mature, but it can be demonstrated in the laboratory," said Wan Feng.