Human factors study on the usage of BCI headset for 3D CAD modeling

Since its inception, computer aided 3D modeling has primarily relied on the Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer (WIMP) interface in which user input is in the form of keystrokes and pointer movements. The brain-computer interface (BCI) is a novel modality that uses the brain signals of a user to enable natural and intuitive interaction with an external device. In this paper we present a human factors study on the use of an Emotiv EEG BCI headset for 3D CAD modeling. The study focuses on substituting the conventional computer mouse- and keyboard-based inputs with inputs from the Emotiv EEG headset. The main steps include (1) training the headset to recognize user-specific EEG/EMG signals and (2) assigning the classified signals to emulate keystrokes which are used to activate/control different commands of a CAD package. To assess the performance of the new system, we compared the time taken by the users to create the 3D CAD models using both the conventional and BCI-based interfaces. In addition, to exhibit the adaptability of the new system, we carried out the study for a set of CAD models of varying complexity.