Brain–computer interface technology is enabling children with physical disabilities to play video games with their minds

A University of Calgary researcher is helping develop video games that children with significant and complex physical disabilities can play using only their brain activity. The work draws on brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, headsets that interpret electrical signals from the brain to let users control computers, wheelchairs or even games through thought alone.

“BCI is a way for you to use the electric activity of your brain to control something on screen.” says Dr. Eli Kinney-Lang, PhD, an assistant professor in biomedical engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering. “This lets people interact with their world in new and exciting ways and bypassing traditional input methods like a keyboard or mouse, which may be limiting for persons with complex motor differences.” 

As part of his research, Kinney-Lang recently hosted a weeklong BCI Game-Jam bringing together students and video‑game developers to create BCI video games that kids want to play. The event gathered participants in Calgary and connected virtual teams joining from across Europe, Canada and the United States.

“We work with families with kids who have complex needs to think about what kind of games they might want to play at home. We had a competition to build a brand new game in a week. We have students in here, we have developers in here, we have industry partners in here,” says Kinney-Lang, whose work is part of the BCI4Kids Program at UCalgary and Alberta Children’s Hospital.

More than 80 participants produced 20 prototype video games during the Game Jam. Those games are now being shared with Calgary-area BCI families for a judging round, and, once feedback is collected, the research team plans to make them freely available to families across their BCI network.

The BCI Games for BCI at Home research project is one of five projects in the One Child Every Child Platform Advancements in Technology for Child Health (PATCH) program.

Kinney-Lang’s project aims to change the perception of what BCI systems can do in home environments for children, and facilitate an ecosystem of scalable technologies and games that are easy to use by families.

The PATCH program addresses critical gaps in paediatric and maternal health care by developing modular, scalable technology solutions that are child specific and adaptable across a range of health needs. This program leverages Alberta's strengths in biomedical engineering and child-health innovation to co-develop transformative health technologies through meaningful, inclusive collaboration with clinicians, researchers, end users and industry partners.