Please welcome ISE’s own Dr. CS Nam as he discusses how the human brain can directly communicate with the outside world, known as brain-computer interface (BCI), not only for healthy people but also for patients who cannot use their muscles.
As always refreshments are available in 428 Daniels Hall 30 minutes before the seminar begins.
During the last decades, a new capability has emerged by which the human brain can directly communicate with the environment, called brain-computer interface (BCI). As a communication and control system that does not depend on the brain’s normal output pathways of peripheral nerves and muscles, BCIs are known for providing alternative methods to interact with the outside world not only for healthy people, but also for patients who cannot use their muscles but are cognitively intact. In addition, BCI technology has been used to promote more effective design of human–machine systems through better understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie human cognition and behavior. Despite advances in BCI technology and a considerable amount of ongoing research, current efforts in BCI research and development still have significant gaps.
In this talk Dr. Nam will address two of these issues principally from the viewpoint of human-systems engineering (HSE) that aims at designing systems consistent with human capabilities and limitations to make technology work for everyone. He will present his recent BCI project performed to investigate the feasibility of a BCI-driven functional electrical stimulation (FES) system for upper limb rehabilitation of post stroke patients and causal brain networks to explain differences in performance of BCI users. In addition, he will introduce a project on the neural mechanisms underlying human balance control to investigate brain networks that contribute to an increased risk of falling. After discussing potential contributions of his brain research to HSE research, education and curriculum development, he will open the floor for questions from the audience.
Dr. Chang S. Nam is currently an associate professor of Edward P. Fitts Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University, USA. He is also an associated professor of the UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering as well as Department of Psychology. He received a PhD from the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech in 2003. He teaches and conducts basic and applied research in human factors and ergonomics engineering to advance the science of HumanComputer Interaction (HCI) with a broad prospective on the application of systems and information engineering to human-centered technologies, including brain-computer interface, performance modeling, neuroergonomics, and adaptive and intelligent human-computer interaction. His research has been supported by federal agencies including National Science Foundation (NSF), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and National Security Agency (NSA). Dr. Nam has received the NSF CAREER Award (2010), Outstanding Researcher Award (2010-2011), and Best Teacher Award (2010-2011). Currently, Nam serves as the
Editor-in-Chief of the journal Brain-Computer Interfaces.
