Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019).

In Canada, hundreds of thousands of individuals are not able to communicate with their loved ones usingx000D
conventional methods such as speech or gestures. This can be due to severe disabilities, locked-in syndrome,x000D
neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or autism spectrum disorders.x000D
Cognixion aims at giving these individuals a voice by tapping into their brain waves and converting uniquex000D
neural signatures into pre-defined messages. More specifically, they utilize so-called steady-state visuallyx000D
evoked potentials (SSVEP) measured from electroencephalography (EEG). Their goal is to provide users withx000D
a low-cost, portable solution that can accompany them from home to the clinic without hassles. Mobility andx000D
reliance on low-cost EEG devices, however, significantly reduce signal quality and hamper systemx000D
performance. This project aims to fill this gap by proposing three key innovations: (1) a new automated EEGx000D
enhancement algorithm, (2) a new EEG signal quality metric, and (3) the use of the metric to extract betterx000D
features and to devise quality-aware machine learning algorithms. When combined, increased robustness tox000D
EEG artefacts will be possible, thus reducing system false alarms and allowing users to communicate morex000D
effectively, become more independent, and ultimately, improve their quality of life.