Developing novel methods of communication for individuals with severe disabilities using patterns of physiological signals

Advances in medical technologies have lead to an increase in the prevalence of individuals whose survival depends entirely on respiratory and
nutrition technology and multiple human caregivers. These individuals often do not have the ability to speak, move, or operate traditional augmentative
and alternative communication (AAC) technologies. This seminar will explore several novel methods of communication for this target population using
physiological signals. The first part of the seminar will focus on autonomic nervous system (ANS) signals as a means of communication and
interaction for children with severe and profound disabilities. The second
will focus on electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain-computer interfaces (BCI) for communication with adults with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS). Case studies will be used to illustrate the challenges of and opportunities for using pattern recognition and signal processing to detect
communicative intent in individuals with severe disabilities.