Academic News
The research team led by Professor Shyu Kuo-Kai and Professor Lee Po-Lei at the Department of Electrical Engineering has advanced the technology for caring for the disadvantaged. The team conducted the research project on “Hospital Bed Control by the Electroencephalography (EEG) Signal,” receiving the Excelsior Award at the 2022 National Innovation Award for Taiwan Healthcare. In addition, Professor Lee Po-Lei collaborated with Taipei Veterans General Hospital to develop the “Close-loop Brain-computer Interface (BCI)-controlled TMS Rehabilitation System for Stroke Patients,” winning the 2022 National Innovation Award as well. Both research outcomes have attained groundbreaking and remarkable innovations! “A human body is the most complicated and precise control system. For patients of Motor Neuron Disease, having their souls imprisoned in the uncontrollable bodies, what can we do for them?” said Professor Shyu Kuo-Kai. Professor Shyu Kuo-Kai’s team has hoped to contribute to disadvantaged patients, and they have dedicated themselves to the research for more than a decade. The research team worked in collaboration with Professor Lee Po-Lei at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Professor Tung Pi-Cheng at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and successfully developed the hospital bed control by the EEG signal. Patients in bed may trigger their EEG signals through visual stimulation and further control the devices. Another research achievement is Professor Lee Po-Lei’s “Close-loop BCI-controlled TMS Rehabilitation System for Stroke Patients.” In traditional therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is frequently used to stimulate and revitalize brain nerves. However, some research statistics show that the therapy cast no significant therapeutic effects upon 50% of patients if the therapy was not administered while patients were having the thought to move their bodies. Professor Lee’s rehabilitation system aims to make further improvements to the condition. As the system detects stroke patients’ brain waves and signals, it will immediately give electrical or magnetic stimulation. If the whole process is compared to car-driving, the system can not only detect the moment in real-time when the driver steps on the gas of a car turned off but also give timely support as a spark plug does to a car to make the ride smooth. The device and system developed by Prof. Lee have passed the evaluation of ISO10993 in biocompatibility and that of IEC60601 in medical device safety testing. It is considered a medical device and can be applied in clinical treatment such as sleep detection, emotion recognition, and early-stage therapeutic support for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The device is relatively simple and affordable compared to current medical devices available on the market, which may significantly lower the threshold for wider applications of BCI-controlled devices.
