164 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON REHABILITATION ENGINEERING, VOL. 8, NO. 2, JUNE 2000 Brain–Computer Interface Technology: A Review of the First International Meeting Jonathan R. Wolpaw (Guest Editor), Niels Birbaumer, William J. Heetderks, Dennis J. McFarland, P. Hunter Peckham, Gerwin Schalk, Emanuel Donchin, Louis A. Quatrano, Charles J. Robinson, and Theresa M. Vaughan (Guest Editor) Abstract—Over the past decade, many laboratories have begun to explore brain–computer interface (BCI) technology as a radically new communication option for those with neuromus- cular impairments that prevent them from using conventional augmentative communication methods. BCI’s provide these users with communication channels that do not depend on peripheral nerves and muscles. This article summarizes the first international meeting devoted to BCI research and development. Current BCI’s use electroencephalographic (EEG) activity recorded at the scalp or single-unit activity recorded from within cortex to control cursor movement, select letters or icons, or operate a neuropros- thesis. The central element in each BCI is a translation algorithm that converts electrophysiological input from the user into output that controls external devices. BCI operation depends on effective interaction between two adaptive controllers, the user who encodes his or her commands in the electrophysiological input provided to the BCI, and the BCI which recognizes the commands contained in the input and expresses them in device control. Current BCI’s have maximum information transfer rates of 5–25 b/min. Achieve- ment of greater speed and accuracy depends on improvements in signal processing, translation algorithms, and user training. These improvements depend on increased interdisciplinary cooperation between neuroscientists, engineers, computer programmers, psychologists, and rehabilitation specialists, and on adoption and widespread application of objective methods for evaluating alternative methods. The practical use of BCI technology depends on the development of appropriate applications, identification of appropriate user groups, and careful attention to the needs and desires of individual users. BCI research and development will also benefit from greater emphasis on peer-reviewed publications, Manuscript received March 3, 2000; revised March 13, 2000. The National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the NIH provided major funding for this workshop. The Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association and the Whitaker Foun- dation supported graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. J. R. Wolpaw, D. J. McFarland, G. Schalk, and T. M. Vaughan are with the Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health and State University of New York, Albany, NY 12201 USA. N. Birbaumer is with the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany. W. J. Heetderks is with the Division of Fundamental Neurosciences, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA. P. H. Peckham is with the Rehabilitation Engineering Center, Metro Health Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland,OH 44109 USA. E. Donchin is with the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL 61820 USA. L. A. Quatrano is with the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Re- search, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA. C. J. Robinson is with the Center for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabili- tation Science, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71270 USA. He is aslo with Overton Brooks VA Medical Center, Shreveport, LA 71101 USA (e-mail: c.robinson@ieee.org). Publisher Item Identifier S 1063-6528(00)04484-0. and from adoption of standard venues for presentations and discussion. Index Terms—Brain–computer interface (BCI), electroen- cephalography (EEG), augmentative communication. INTRODUCTION Brain–computer interfaces (BCI’s) give their users commu- nication and control channels that do not depend on the brain’s normal output channels of peripheral nerves and muscles. Cur- rent interest in BCI development comes mainly from the hope that this technology could be a valuable new augmentative com- munication option for those with severe motor disabilities—dis- abilities that prevent them from using conventional augmenta- tive technologies, all of which require some voluntary muscle control. Over the past five years, the volume and pace of BCI re- search have grown rapidly. In 1995 there were no more than six active BCI research groups, now there are more than 20. They are focusing on brain electrical activity, recorded from the scalp as electroencephalographic activity (EEG) or from within the brain as single-unit activity, as the basis for this new communi- cation and control technology. In recognition of this recent rapid development and its poten- tial importance for those with motor disabilities, the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research of the National In- stitute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health sponsored a workshop on BCI technology. This workshop, also supported by the Eastern Paralyzed Vet- erans Association and the Whitaker Foundation and organized by the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health, took place in June of 1999 at the Rensselaerville Insti- tute near Albany, New York. Fifty scientists and engineers par- ticipated. They represented 22 different research groups from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, and Italy. Their principal goals were: 1) to review the current state of BCI research; 2) to define the aims of basic and applied BCI research; 3) to identify and address the key technical issues; and 4) to consider development of standard research procedures and assessment methods. On the first day, one person from each group gave a brief sum- mary of his or her group’s current work and future plans. The substance of these talks is presented in the peer-reviewed pa- pers that follow this article. They range from descriptions of a variety of functioning EEG-based or single-unit based BCI’s, to analyses of the correlations between EEG or single-unit activity and the brain’s conventional motor outputs, to investigations of 1063–6528/00$10.00 © 2000 IEEE