OpenBMI: A real-time data analysis toolbox for Brain-Machine Interfaces

Recently, there has been an increased demand for Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) toolboxes for neuroscientifc research. In many BMI applications, speller systems can provide an efficient communication channel for users with disabilities. Here, we introduce an open-source BMI toolbox termed ‘OpenBMI’, which supports the various signal processing chains for common BMI paradigms, such as event-related potentials (ERPs) and steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP). The OpenBMI framework consists of ready-to-use experimental paradigms, offline data analysis techniques, online feedback as well as evaluation modules. The data analysis modules provide essential pre-processing steps (segmentation, baseline correction, etc.) as well as signal processing algorithms such as temporal and spatial filtering, artifact rejection, among others. The experimental paradigms of ERP and SSVEP are available with fully open-sourced demo scripts. Users can easily modify or extend the demo scripts for their needs. In this article, the OpenBMI framework, its features as well as its future development plan is introduced.