A review of past and future near-infrared spectroscopy brain computer interface research at the PRISM lab

Single-trial classification of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) signals for brain-computer interface (BCI) applications has recently gained much attention. This paper reviews research in this area conducted at the PRISM lab (University of Toronto) to date, as well as directions for future work. Thus far, research has included classification of hemodynamic changes induced by the performance of various mental tasks in both offline and online settings, as well as offline classification of cortical changes evoked by different affective states. The majority of NIRS-BCI work has only involved able-bodied individuals. However, preliminary work involving individuals from target BCI-user populations is also underway. In addition to further testing with users with severe disabilities, ongoing and future research will focus on enhancing classification accuracies, communication speed and user experience.