Brain-computer interface enhanced by virtual reality training for controlling a lower limb exoskeleton

This study investigates using a brain-computer interface (BCI) controlled by imagining movements to operate a lower limb exoskeleton, which can help people recover motor skills after a neural injury. The BCI system was tested on ten healthy individuals and two patients with spinal cord injuries. To make training faster, five of the healthy subjects used a virtual reality (VR) system. The results from the VR group were compared to the other five healthy subjects that did not use VR. The results suggest that VR training did not reduce the BCI's effectiveness and might have even improved it in some areas. The patients gave positive feedback and were able to complete the experiments without excessive physical or mental strain.

• 1
  VR training did not reduce the BCI's effectiveness and may have improved it in some cases.
• 2
  Patients with SCI gave positive feedback about the system and were able to handle experimental sessions without high levels of physical and mental exertion.
• 3
  Motion model (controlling continuous walking or stopping) demonstrated superior performance compared to Static model.