Abstract
Common goals in the development of human-machine interface (HMI) technology are to reduce cognitive workload and increase function. However, objective and quantitative outcome measures assessing cognitive workload have not been standardized for HMI research. The present study examines the efficacy of a simple event-related potential (ERP) measure of cortical effort during myoelectric control of a virtual limb for use as an outcome tool. Participants trained and tested on two methods of control, direct control (DC) and pattern recognition control (PRC), while electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded. Eighteen healthy participants with intact limbs were tested using DC and PRC under three conditions: passive viewing, easy, and hard. Novel auditory probes were presented at random intervals during testing, and significant task-difficulty effects were observed in the P200, P300, and a late positive potential (LPP), supporting the efficacy of ERPs as a cognitive workload measure in HMI tasks. LPP amplitude distinguished DC from PRC in the hard condition with higher amplitude in PRC, consistent with lower cognitive workload in PRC relative to DC for complex movements. Participants completed trials faster in the easy condition using DC relative to PRC, but completed trials more slowly using DC relative to PRC in the hard condition. The results provide promising support for ERPs as an outcome measure for cognitive workload in HMI research such as prosthetics, exoskeletons, and other assistive devices, and can be used to evaluate and guide new technologies for more intuitive HMI control.
Highlights
The fields of rehabilitation and medical technology have seen significant recent advances that incorporate human-machine interaction (HMI), including the use of exoskeletons designed to enable ambulation in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and stroke [1,2], robotic aids for surgery [3], and myoelectric control of prostheses using electromyographic (EMG) signals from residual muscles [4]
The current study adapted one such approach to examine the use of event-related potential (ERP) as a cognitive workload outcome measure for HMI, during myoelectric prosthetic limb control
The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy of using ERPs as an outcome measure for cognitive workload in HMI, during myoelectric prosthesis control
Summary
The fields of rehabilitation and medical technology have seen significant recent advances that incorporate human-machine interaction (HMI), including the use of exoskeletons designed to enable ambulation in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and stroke [1,2], robotic aids for surgery [3], and myoelectric control of prostheses using electromyographic (EMG) signals from residual muscles [4]. TMR has even been shown to enable the potential for somatosensory feedback in amputee patients [11,12,13], which may significantly reduce the attentional demands of using a prosthesis since users currently rely on visual feedback for tasks such as grasping [14]. All of these advances are intended to make prosthesis control as intuitive and functional as possible since basic activities of daily living, such as dressing, toileting, and ambulation can be very challenging for individuals with amputations. Calls for future research have included studies on cognitive workload in conjunction with development of new technologies to improve performance [15]
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