Assessing a brain-computer interface by evoking the auditory cortex through binaural beat

English: Why can some people study, read books, and work while listening to music or with noise in the background while other people simply cannot? This was the question that prompted this research study. The aim of this project was to assess the impact of binaural beats on participants during the performance of a task. The participants were exposed to different binaural beats that changed the dominant brainwaves while they were engaging in the task. A braincomputer interface was used to monitor the performance of the task in which a Lego Mindstorm robot was controlled as it moved through a course. To accomplish the aim of the project, the effects of binaural tones on participants’ task performance were investigated in relation to participants’ levels of frustration, excitement, engagement, meditation and performance. Participants were monitored by means of using an Emotiv EPOC neuroheadset. Although previous studies on binaural beats have been done, most of these studies were done on Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children, with users performing everyday tasks. In these studies, time was the only metric used. The researcher collected data by means of questionnaires that were completed by the participants to obtain personal information and measure the user experience. The aspects of frustration, excitement, engagement, meditation and performance were determined using the Emotiv headset in combination with the Emotiv software development kit, Microsoft Robotics Studio and software created by the researcher. After intensive statistical analysis, the researcher found that different sound frequencies did indeed affect user performance. Sessions where no sound frequency was applied were associated with more errors and longer time durations compared with all other frequencies. It can be concluded that invoking a participant’s dominant brainwave by means of binaural tones can change his/her state of mind. This in turn can affect the long-term excitement, short-term excitement, engagement, meditation, frustration or performance of a participant while performing a task. Much remains to be learned, in particular regarding the combination of brain-computer interfaces and human-computer interaction. The possibility of new cutting-edge technologies that could provide a platform for further in-depth research is an exciting prospect.