An assistive device with conventional, alternative and Brain-computer interface inputs to enhance interaction with the environment for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: a feasibility and usability study

Schettini, Francesca [Santa Lucia, Roma] Riccio, Angela [Santa Lucia, Roma] Simione, Luca [Santa Lucia, Roma] Liberati, Giulia [UCL] et al.

Objective: To evaluate feasibility and usability of an assistive device (AD) prototype designed to be operated with conventional/alternative input channels and a P300-based Brain Computer Interface (BCI), and to provide users with different degree of muscular impairment due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with a communication and environmental control applications. Design: Proof of principle study with a convenience sample. Setting: An apartment-like space designed to be fully accessible by people with motor disabilities for occupational therapy, placed in a neurological rehabilitation hospital. Participants: Eight end users with ALS (5 male, 3 female; mean age=60 +/- 12 years) recruited by a clinical team from the ALS Center (Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University, Rome). Interventions: Three experimental conditions based on: I) a widely validated P300-based BCI alone, II) the AD prototype operated by a conventional/alternative input device tailored to the specific user’s residual motor abilities and III) the AD prototype accessed by a P300-based BCI. These 3 conditions were presented to all participants, in three different sessions. Main Outcome Measure(s): System usability was preliminarily evaluated in terms of effectiveness (accuracy), efficiency (written symbol rate, time for correct selection, workload) and user satisfaction (overall satisfaction) domains. A comparison of the data collected in the 3 conditions was performed.