1 MouAthKar13_v3-1_Final.doc Development and User Assessment of a Body-Machine Interface for a Hybrid-Controlled 6-degree of Freedom Robotic Arm (MERCURY) N. Moustakas 1,2 , A. Athanasiou 1,3 , P. Kartsidis 1 , P. D. Bamidis 1 and A. Astaras 1,2 1 Lab of Medical Informatics, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Thessaloniki, Greece 2 Dept. of Automation, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki (ATEITH), Thessaloniki, Greece 3 Dept. of Neurosurgery, Papageorgiou General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece Abstract— This paper presents the development, pilot test- ing and user assessment results for a body-machine interface (BMI) designed to control a 6-degree of freedom robotic arm, developed by our research team. The BMI was designed to be wearable, immersive and intuitive, constituting the first part of a hybrid real-time user interface. A total of 34 volunteers participated in this study, performing two sets of three tasks in which they controlled the robotic arm, a) within direct line of sight and b) through a video link. All participants completed questionnaires to evaluate their technological background, familiarization with informatics, electronics, robotics and video teleconferencing. At this point of development the system does not capture brainwaves or electric neural input, it simply captures the motion of the operator’s arm. The complete MERCURY prototype system is still under development and additionally comprises a wearable, wireless brain-computer interface (BCI) headset. The BCI headset is currently being integrated into the system and has not yet been pilot tested. The complete hybrid-interface system is primarily intended for research into human-computer interfaces, neurophysiological experiments, as well as industrial applications requiring im- mersive remote control of robotic machinery. Keywords— Body-machine interface, brain-computer inter- face, robotic, user assessment. I. INTRODUCTION Brain machine interfaces (BMIs) are systems that allow users to control external devices using movement of their body, their goal being to map a user’s residual motor skills into efficient patterns of control [1]. Brain Computer Inter- faces (BCIs) are interactive systems that permit users to control external devices using their thought. BCI research and development is a relatively recent occurrence, however commercial applications of BCIs are already on the market [2]. Rehabilitation and motor restoration for patients with severe neurological impairment are commonly mentioned in the literature as possible BCI applications [3]. The use of brainwaves to control robotic devices has al- ready produced promising clinical results [4]. Various re- search teams have demonstrated that invasive BCIs can be used to restore a certain degree of motor functions and even provide high accuracy control of robotic prosthetic arms [5]. However, in order for such BCI-controlled robotic applica- tions to achieve ethical and end-user acceptance for every- day tasks, the use of non-invasive, unobtrusive and relative- ly low-cost systems is required. We have designed, partly implemented and tested MERCURY, a hybrid BCI-BMI robotic system, to investi- gate the capabilities and limitations for combining these technologies, primarily for medical and biomedical engi- neering applications [6]. All components used for MERCURY have been designed, implemented and tested by our research and development team. Fig. 1 Computer aided design diagram of the 6 degree of freedom MERCURY BMI (top) and robotic arm (bottom) Design requirements included rapid and smooth robotic movement that approximates the natural movement of a human operator’s arm; an intuitive and immersive interface, portability, scalability, and relatively low cost (less than 3000€). As a primary application, we targeted investigative