Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-06-14T12:40:33Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese - versao para impressao (2).pdf: 20650405 bytes, checksum: fadce5f7df96f0068f4ff26a711ed388 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-14T12:40:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese - versao para impressao (2).pdf: 20650405 bytes, checksum: fadce5f7df96f0068f4ff26a711ed388 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-10-24 / CAPEs / A avaliação da usabilidade representa uma tarefa essencial no ciclo de desenvolvimento do produto ao buscar uma maior satisfação do usuário e, consequentemente, o sucesso do produto no mercado. Para tal, torna-se fundamental a colaboração e a comunicação eficiente entre os diversos membros da equipe. Neste âmbito, tecnologias são desenvolvidas no sentido de promover um design participativo em todas as fases do processo de design e tem provocado uma mudança de paradigmas. O objetivo desta tese consiste em investigar o potencial das principais tecnologias para a usabilidade de produtos, buscando soluções que tornem a avaliação mais eficiente e inclusiva. Uma revisão de literatura sobre usabilidade e métodos é realizada, contextualizando o tema da pesquisa. Em seguida, as tecnologias emergentes da prototipagem virtual, simulações em ambientes virtuais e a interface cérebro-computador, ou neurociência para o design, são identificadas e suas possíveis aplicações na avaliação da usabilidade apontadas. A aplicação das tecnologias emergentes e o relacionamento destas entre si é avaliada em dois estudos de caso. O primeiro estudo consiste em dois experimentos com profissionais e estudantes de Design. Um questionário foi aplicado para investigar a situação atual da aplicação das tecnologias prototipagem virtual e realidade virtual, como também realizou-se um estudo comparativo entre protótipos. No segundo estudo, um teste de usabilidade com usuários reais utilizando um sistema EEG wireless foi realizado para investigar as atividades cerebrais durante o uso de um produto de consumo. Como resultado, várias lições foram aprendidas, correspondendo a uma importante contribuição para pesquisas no campo do design de produtos. A tese é finalizada com as lições aprendidas e são apresentadas sugestões para futuras pesquisas. / The usability evaluation is an essential task in the product development process to seek a greater user satisfaction and, consequently, the product success in the marketplace. For this, it is necessary the collaboration and effective communication among stakeholders. In this context, technology is developed in order to promote a participatory design at all stages of the design process and has resulted in a paradigm shift. The aims of this thesis are to investigate the potential of key technologies for testing the usability of products, and exploring solutions that make usability evaluation more efficient and comprehensive. A comprehensive literature review on usability and testing methods is provided by contextualizing the research theme. Then the emergent technologies of virtual prototyping, virtual environment simulation and brain computer interfacing or neuroscience for design are identified and possible applications in usability evaluation are outlined. The emerging technologies, their applications and how they relate to each other are evaluated in two case studies. The first study consists of two experiments with professional settings and with design students. A questionnaire was applied to investigate the present situation of virtual prototyping and virtual reality technologies application, and also a comparative study between prototypes was conducted. In the second study, a usability test with real users using a wireless EEG system was performed to investigate the brain activity during the use of a consumer product. As results show, several lessons were learned, representing an important contribution to research in the field of product design. The thesis concludes with best practices (lessons learned) and suggestions for further research.

The Emotiv Insight is a commercially available, low-cost, mobile EEG device that is commonly overshadowed by its costlier counterpart, the Emotiv EPOC. The purpose of this report is to investigate if the Emotiv Insight is a suitable headset to be used as a controlling factor in conjunction with an Arduino microcontroller and various electrical components that are used towards the development of an open-sourced, affordable electric wheelchair with the primary goal of providing those who either do not have the financial resources or the physical capability to operate a traditional wheelchair due to their disability a viable option to improve their quality of life. All of the C++ code, STL files used to fabricate the 3d-printed components are uploaded to a GitHub repository as open sourced files to allow individuals with access to a 3d-printer to either build the open sourced wheelchair for their personal use, or refine the design to suit their needs.

Tack vare framsteg inom portabel elektroencefalografiteknologi (PEEGT) har det blivit lättare och billigare att studera hjärnans aktivitet i form av hjärnvågor. Syftet med det här arbetet var att studera skillnaden i hjärnaktivitet mellan musikaliska aktiviteter, genom att använda sig av PEEGT. Verktyget som användes till ändamålet är utvecklat av företaget EMOTIV och heter ”Insight”. Att använda sig av PEEGT för att uppskatta känslor och sinnestillstånd är ett relativt nytt forskningsområde med en lovande framtid. Det här arbetet motiveras av möjligheten att använda sig av sådan hjärnforskning för att leta efter svar på frågor kring undervisning och musicerande. Till studien valdes de två musikaliska aktiviteterna improvisation och avistaläsning. EMOTIVs Insight användes sedan till att samla data vid 10 olika tillfällen, som därefter analyserades med ett Wilcoxon signed rank test. Den kvantitativa datan triangulerades med anteckningar från en loggbok om subjektiva upplevelser vid de 10 mättillfällena. Resultatet visade ingen statistiskt signifikant skillnad mellan de musikaliska aktiviteterna. Som varandes ett självexperiment visade det sig ändå vara lärorikt för forskningssubjektet, framförallt vad gäller insikter om förhållandet mellan anteckningarna i loggboken och datan från EEG:en. Förhoppningsvis kan arbetet tjäna som inspiration till att göra liknande arbeten i framtiden. / Thanks to recent advances in the development of portable electroencephalografy technology (PEEGT), doing research on brain activity has become both cheaper and more convenient to do. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference of the brain activity between musical activities, using the commercially available PEEGT “Insight”, developed by the tech company EMOTIV. The use of these PEEGT to estimate states of mind and emotions is a relatively new area of research, with a promising future. The study is motivated by the possibility to use research like this to address questions about education and musicmaking. Two musical activities were chosen for the study, improvisation and sight-reading. EMOTIVs Insight was used to collect data on 10 separate occasions, which later was analyzed with the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The quantitative data was triangulated with notes from a logbook about the subjective experiences during the 10 occasions. No statistically significant difference was found between the activities. On the other hand, the study proved useful for the subject. Especially regarding insights on the relationship between the notes in the logbook, and the reported data from the EEG. Hopefully the work can also serve as an inspiration for future studies.

Today smartphones are everywhere and they ease the lives of millions of people every day. However there are people who, because of various reasons, are unable to receive the benefits of these devices because they are not able to interact with a smartphone in the intended way; using their hands. In this thesis we investigate an alternative method for interacting with a smartphone; using a commercially available electroencephalography (EEG) headset. EEG is a technique for measuring and recording brain activity, often through the use of sensors placed along the scalp of the user. We developed a prototype of a brain-computer interface (BCI) for use with android and the Emotiv Insight commercial EEG headset. The prototype allows the user to control an on-screen cursor in one dimension within an android application using the Emotiv Insight. We performed three case studies with one participant in each. The participants had no prior experience with EEG headsets or BCIs. We had them train to use the Emotiv Insight with our BCI prototype. After the training was completed they performed a series of tests in order to measure their ability to control an on-screen cursor in one dimension. Finally the participants filled out a questionnaire regarding their subjective experiences of using the Emotiv Insight. These case studies showed the inadequacies of the Emotiv Insight. All three participants had issues with training and using the headset. These issues are reflected in our tests, where 44 out of 45 attempts at moving the cursor to a specific area resulted in a failure. All participants also reported fatigue and headaches during the case studies. We also concluded that the Emotiv Insight provides a poor user experience because of fatigue in longer sessions and the amount of work needed to train the headset.

Title: Applicability of Neural Computer Control in Sport. Objectives: Find out applicability of neural computer control in the sport research using Emotiv Epoc Neuroheadset device and Emotiv Control Panel application. Methods: Case study. Results: New research direction in sport using the Emotiv Epoc Neuroheadset device has been the significant contribution of the Thesis. All the research and results that has been gained will be used as the base for the future research. Results will be applied in more complex research using Emotiv Epoc Neuroheadset in context of different physical activities. Keywords: Emotiv, Cognitiv Suite, virtual cube, physical activity, stress

The main goal of this paper is to test the applicability of the device for neural computer control on a group of ten volunteers. In the next part of the paper author focuses on Electroencephalography and the conversion of analog neural signals from brain to digital form. Next chapter describes currently on the market available devices, which allow customers direct computer controlling with the usage of bio signal from brain. The device selected for the purposes of this paper (Emotiv Epoc) is more described in detail. The last goal is an attempt to predict the future development of this technology. The paper demonstrates applicability of this device in its current form for everyday work with Microsoft Project and presents users who are able to learn to control a computer with this device in just 980 minutes of training.

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2017-10-02T22:27:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 GabrielAlvesVasiljevicMendes_DISSERT.pdf: 3791566 bytes, checksum: e847396390a6b6ca2128eefd4423f561 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-10-06T23:26:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 GabrielAlvesVasiljevicMendes_DISSERT.pdf: 3791566 bytes, checksum: e847396390a6b6ca2128eefd4423f561 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-06T23:26:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 GabrielAlvesVasiljevicMendes_DISSERT.pdf: 3791566 bytes, checksum: e847396390a6b6ca2128eefd4423f561 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-31 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico (CNPq) / Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are specialized systems that allow users to control a computer or a machine using their brain waves. BCI systems allow patients with severe physical impairments, such as those suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy and locked-in syndrome, to communicate and regain physical movements with the help of specialized equipment. With the development of BCI technology in the second half of the 20th century and the advent of consumer-grade BCI devices in the late 2000s, brain-controlled systems started to find applications not only in the medical field, but in areas such as entertainment. One particular area that is gaining more evidence due to the arrival of consumer-grade devices is the field of computer games, which has become increasingly popular in BCI research as it allows for more user-friendly applications of BCI technology in both healthy and unhealthy users. However, numerous challenges are yet to be overcome in order to advance in this field, as the origins and mechanics of the brain waves and how they are affected by external stimuli are not yet fully understood. In this sense, a systematic literature review of BCI games based on consumer-grade technology was performed. Based on its results, two BCI games, one using attention and the other using meditation as control signals, were developed in order to investigate key aspects of player interaction: the influence of graphical elements on attention and control; the influence of auditory stimuli on meditation and work load; and the differences both in performance and multiplayer game experience, all in the context of neurofeedback-based BCI games.

Context: Patients with diseases such as locked in syndrome or motor neuron are paralyzed and they need special care. To reduce the cost of their care, systems need to be designed where human involvement is minimal and affected people can perform their daily life activities independently. To assess the feasibility and robustness of combinations of input modalities, mobile robot (Spinosaurus) navigation is controlled by a combination of Eye gaze tracking and other input modalities. Objectives: Our aim is to control the robot using EEG brain signals and eye gaze tracking simultaneously. Different combinations of input modalities are used to control the robot and turret movement and then we find out which combination of control technique mapped to control command is most effective. Methods: The method includes developing the interface and control software. An experiment involving 15 participants was conducted to evaluate control of the mobile robot using a combination of eye tracker and other input modalities. Subjects were required to drive the mobile robot from a starting point to a goal along a pre-defined path. At the end of experiment, a sense of presence questionnaire was distributed among the participants to take their feedback. A qualitative pilot study was performed to find out how a low cost commercial EEG headset, the Emotiv EPOCTM, can be used for motion control of a mobile robot at the end. Results: Our study results showed that the Mouse/Keyboard combination was the most effective for controlling the robot motion and turret mounted camera respectively. In experimental evaluation, the Keyboard/Eye Tracker combination improved the performance by 9%. 86% of participants found that turret mounted camera was useful and provided great assistance in robot navigation. Our qualitative pilot study of the Emotiv EPOCTM demonstrated different ways to train the headset for different actions. Conclusions: In this study, we concluded that different combinations of control techniques could be used to control the devices e.g. a mobile robot or a powered wheelchair. Gaze-based control was found to be comparable with the use of a mouse and keyboard; EEG-based control was found to need a lot of training time and was difficult to train. Our pilot study suggested that using facial expressions to train the Emotiv EPOCTM was an efficient and effective way to train it.

Emotiv EPOC is a low-cost consumer headset capable of acquiring a raw EEG signal. The thesis evaluates its usage for an acquisition of research event-related potentials. A controlled laboratory experiment was performed with an objective of isolating the Bereitschaftspotential (Readiness Potential) and other movement-related potentials and comparing the results with the results of the previous research. The possibility of measuring the potential with Emotiv EPOC was not confirmed, most probably due to procedural issues during the experiment, however, further analysis of the data suggests its presence. Other outcomes of the research include qualitative findings about the headset, mainly its hardware construction, and testing feedback of EEGLab, an open source toolbox for EEG processing and visualization.

he software engineering community has advanced the field in the past few decades towards making the software development life cycle more efficient, robust, and streamlined. Advances such as better integrated development environments and agile workflows have made the process more efficient as well as more flexible. Despite these many achievements software engineers still spend a great deal of time writing, reading and reviewing code. These tasks require a lot of attention from the engineer with many different variables affecting the performance of the tasks. In recent years many researchers have come to investigate how emotion and the way we think about code affect our ability to write and understand another’s code. In this work we look at how developers’ emotions affect their ability to solve software engineering tasks such as code writing and review. We also investigate how and to what extent emotions differ with the software engineering experience of the subject. The methodologies we employed utilize the Emotiv Epoc+ to take readings of subjects’ brain patterns while they perform code reviews as well as write basic code. We then examine how the electrical signals and patterns in the participants differ with experience in the field, as well as their efficiency and correctness in solving the software engineering tasks. We found in our study that senior students had much smaller distribution of emotions than novices with a few different emotion groups emerging. The novices, while able to be grouped, had a much wider dispersion of the emotion aspects recorded.