g.tec medical engineering Austria
g.tec started developing brain-computer interfaces (BCI) about 20 years ago, after presenting the first portable BCI system in 1999 at the BCI Meeting in Rensselaerville, New York. This device had an EEG amplifier within the floppy drive housing of an HP laptop system. From there on, BCI technology evolved rapidly:
In 1999, we demonstrated the first BCI session with 100 % accuracy using a motor imagery BCI system with Common Spatial Patterns. In 2007, we released the first commercial BCI for home use, called intendiX. This P300 speller could achieve 100 % accuracy after only 5 minutes of training. Later in 2013, code based VEPs allowed users to control a robotic device with an accuracy of 98 % in a continuous control task and play World of Warcraft. Around this time, g.tec also became more active with ECoG recordings, which have led to several publications and the cortiQ system. The high spatial resolution of ECoG recordings has made it possible to decode much finer finger movements than noninvasive recordings, and to analyze under-explored brain regions like the fusiform face area in real-time using high-gamma activity.
In 2014, g.tec introduced wireless dry and wet EEG recording systems using active electrodes. This major achievement is still boosting BCI performance and user experience worldwide by improving the signal to noise ratio and ease of use. But what does the future hold for brain-computer interfacing? There are many exciting new directions, and g.tec is focused on extending BCIs with non-invasive and invasive neuromodulation and stimulation technology to further increase accuracy and to broaden application areas.
