Enhancing Motor Imagery Decoding with Environmental Context During Robot Control

Authors: Simonetto Piero; Toniolo Sebastiano; Tortora Stefano; Menegatti Emanuele; Tonin Luca

Journal: 145097

Conference: 2025 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, SMC 2025

Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

Published: 2025

DOI: 10.1109/SMC58881.2025.11343258

Pages: 7372-7377

Research Topics: Decoding methods; Motor imagery; Computer science; Context (archaeology); Human–computer interaction

Citations: 0 (source: OpenAlex)

Abstract

Motor imagery (MI) is a fundamental brain-machine interface (BMI) paradigm in which users learn how to modulate their brain signals to voluntarily and selectively activate specific areas of the sensorimotor cortex. The self-paced nature of this kinesthetic imagination makes MI well-suited for several human-robot interaction (HRI) scenarios. However, the performance of MI decoding is highly dependent on both the user's expertise and the quality of the decoding algorithm. To address these challenges, we propose a method that integrates environmental data from robotic sensors to enhance the MI decoding process. Preliminary experiments indicate that this approach improves decoding accuracy and the overall performance of the brain-driven system, opening new opportunities for research on how machines can enhance the usability of BMIs systems.