BRAINKART : A tangible open-source fast calibration BCI for science popularisation
BRAINKART : un BCI tangible à calibration rapide pour de la vulgarisation scientifique, un projet open source
Résumé
Brain Kart is an open-source project developed during hackathons. It consists of a race in which the speed of a robot (Thymio) is controlled by the player's prefrontal EEG alpha activity. This project is designed to be fun, accessible, and require minimal calibration, making it an ideal tool for science popularisation. Brain Kart utilizes Thymio, an open-source robot originally developed to introduce programming to children. The robots are programmed to autonomously follow a black line on the circuit, independent of brain activity. However, their speed is modulated by the player's brain activity, which is measured using three electrodes placed on the prefrontal cortex (Fp1, FpZ, Fp2) . The signal is processed using the OpenViBE software. The speed of the robot is increased when the participant reduces the amplitude of his frontal alpha (A) compared to a baseline (B), which is recorded during a one-minute resting period with open eyes. The speed (S) is adjusted following this algorithm : Δ= (A-B) / B *10 If Δ> 0: S = S/2 Else: S = S – Δ Since low alpha activity is associated with a high level of focus and mental engagement, players are instructed to enhance their concentration by performing mental tasks, such as translating a text, solving mathematical equations, or playing music, depending on their personal preferences. The project has been tested with more than 300 participants in different science popularization events and school interventions, it received highly positive feedback from novice BCI users, who, within just five minutes, were able to experience real-time modulation of their brain activity. Additionally, the gamified racing environment enhances engagement and fosters competition among players, as they strive to achieve better performance than their peers. Brain Kart is openly accessible via the following GitHub repository: https://github.com/dtrocellier/brain_kart. It is available for anyone interested in using or further improving the project.
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