Electroencephalograph based biofeedback system for improving learning skills

• US 6,402,520 B1
• Filed: 08/12/1999
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unique Logic And Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Unique Digital Technology Incorporated (Converge Technology Solutions Corp.)
• Inventors: Freer, Peter A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADAMS, CHANDA L
• Application Number:
  US09/373,419
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 434/236, 434/258, 434/362, 600/544, 600/545
• US Class Current: 434/236
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/375 using biofeedback
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine

Abstract

Apparatus utilizing electrical activity of the brain to control a series of low-stimuli educational exercises displayed on a computer monitor to increase the following. educational components: time on-task, visual tracking, short-term memory, visual discriminatory processing, auditory discriminatory processing, and focus. The exercises are governed by real-time analysis of the focus and processing states of the user. Specific relative exercise performance data are collected and recorded from the use of each of the educational components to demonstrate improvement over time of the user in each of the sited educational components.

Claims

1. Apparatus for teaching a user to maintain visual tracking of a moving object while maintaining focus and cognitive processing, said apparatus comprising:

a system for measuring electrical activity of the brain of the user to obtain signals having values indicative of levels of focus and cognitive processing, respectively, and comparing the signals to respective reference threshold values to generate an on-task signal when at least threshold levels of focus and cognitive processing are achieved; and

a computer device for generating a representation of an object on a display, and causing the object to randomly move while the on-task signal is being generated.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer device generates a representation of a bug on a leaf.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer device generates a representation of a frog on a pad.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said computer device generates a representation of an object that moves more frequently as the user achieves greater focus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the level of performance of individual users.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device accumulates and saves to said recording device the cumulative time on task of individual users.

7. Apparatus for teaching a user to increase time on task by challenging the user to complete a task within a predetermined length of time by maintaining focus, said apparatus comprising:

a system for measuring electrical activity of the brain of the user to obtain at least one signal having a value indicative of level of focus and comparing the at least one signal to a reference threshold value to generate an on-task signal when at least a threshold level of focus is indicated; and

a computer device for generating a representation of a task on a display, and causing a moving representation of forward progress on the task while the on-task signal is generated.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said computer device causes a representation of reverse progress on the task when the on-task signal is not being generated.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the task represented is building a structure of discrete elements.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the task represented is building a tower of blocks.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said system and computer device function to increase the number of discrete elements required to complete the task after the user successfully completes the task within the predetermined length of time.

12. The apparatus of computer claim 7, wherein said system and computer device function to increase the level of difficulty after the user successfully completes the task within the predetermined length of time.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said computer device further generates distractions selected from a group consisting of visual distractions on the display and audible distractions to increase the level of difficulty.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the performance of individual users.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the cumulative time on task of individual users.

16. Apparatus for teaching a user to improve short term memory sequencing while maintaining a heightened level of attention, said apparatus comprising:

a system for measuring electrical activity of the brain of the user to obtain at least one signal having a value indicative of level of attention and comparing the at least one signal to a reference threshold value to generate an on-task signal when at least a threshold level of attention is indicated;

an input device; and

a computer device for generating representations of a plurality of objects on a display, each of the object representations having an inactive and an active display state, said device operable, when the on-task signal is generated, to individually activate the display objects in a sequence while promoting the user to watch, to prompt the user to respond on said input device with a remembered sequence, and to indicate success or failure to the user.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a sound generator for outputting tones simultaneously with the activation of the display objects.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

said input device is a computer keyboard; and

wherein

said computer device generates representations of four rectangles arranged in the same pattern as cursor arrow keys on said keyboard.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said computer device functions to increase the length of the sequence after the user has achieved success a predetermined number of times.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the level of performance of individual users.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device accumulates and saves to said recording device the cumulative time on task of individual users.

22. Apparatus for teaching a user to improve short term memory sequencing while maintaining a heightened level of attention, said apparatus comprising:

a system for measuring electrical activity of the brain of the user to obtain at least one signal having a value indicative of level of attention and comparing the at least one signal to a reference threshold value to generate an on-task signal when at least a threshold level of attention is indicated;

an input device; and

a computer device for, when the on-task signal is generated, presenting available keyboard characters on a display in a sequence while promoting the user to watch, to prompt the user to respond on said input device with a remembered sequence, and to indicate success or failure to the user.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said computer device presents characters at random locations on said display.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said computer device functions to increase the length of the sequence after the user has achieved success a predetermined number of times.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the level of performance of individual users.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device accumulates and saves to said recording device the cumulative time on task of individual users.

27. Apparatus for teaching a user visual discriminatory processing while maintaining focus, said apparatus comprising:

a system for measuring electrical activity of the brain of the user to obtain at least one signal having a value indicative of level of focus and comparing the at least one signal to a reference threshold value to generate an on-task signal when at least a threshold level of focus is indicated;

an input device; and

a computer device for, while the on-task signal is being generated, randomly presenting on a display device individual ones of at least two possible stimuli one at a time, and requiring the user to respond or not respond via said input device depending on the stimulus.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the particular stimulus which requires a response and the particular stimulus which does not require a response is varied.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said computer device presents on said display device stimuli in the form of objects that appear in individual ones of at least two colors, and the user is required to respond to one color but not the other.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein:

said input device comprises a computer keyboard; and

wherein;

said computer device presents on said display device an image of a spaceship cockpit and wherein the objects that appear are representations of asteroids that appear one at a time hurtling towards the cockpit at random speeds and intervals, and the user is required to respond via a key on said keyboard to asteroids of at least one particular color, but not the asteroids of another color.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said computer device further generates distractions selected from a group consisting of visual distractions on the display and audible distractions to increase the level of difficulty.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the reaction time of individual users.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the accuracy of individual users.

34. The apparatus of claim 27, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the number of impulsive responses of individual users.

35. The apparatus of claim 27, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device accumulates and records to said recording device the cumulative time on task of individual users.

36. Apparatus for teaching a user auditory discriminatory processing while maintaining focus, said apparatus comprising:

a system for measuring electrical activity of the brain of the user to obtain at least one signal having a value indicative of level of focus and comparing the at least one signal to a reference threshold value to generate an on-task signal when at least a threshold level of focus is indicated;

an input device; and

a computer device for, while the on-task signal is being generated, randomly generating on a sound output device sequences of two sounds that may or may not match in any particular sequence and accordingly representing two possible cases, and requiring the user to respond in one of the cases and not the other.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said computer device generates on said sound output device sequences of two tones that may or may not match in any particular sequence.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said computer device generates on said sound output device sequences of two phonemes that may or may not match in any particular sequence.

39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said computer device further generates distractions selected from the group consisting of visual distractions on the display and audible distractions to increase the level of difficulty.

40. The apparatus of claim 36, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the reaction time of individual users.

41. The apparatus of claim 36, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the accuracy of individual users.

42. The apparatus of claim 36, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the number of impulsive responses of individual users.

43. The apparatus of claim 36, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device accumulates and saves to said recording device the cumulative time on task of individual users.

44. Apparatus for teaching a user visual and auditory discriminatory processing while maintaining focus, said apparatus comprising:

a system for measuring electrical activity of the brain of the user to obtain at least one signal having a value indicative of level of focus and comparing the at least one signal to a reference threshold value to generate an on-task signal when at least a threshold level of focus is indicated;

an input device; and

a computer device for, while the on-task signal is being generated, randomly presenting on a display device and generating on a sound output device particular representations. in visual and auditory form that may or may not match in any particular instance and accordingly representing two possible cases, and requiring the user to respond in one of the cases and not the other.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein said computer device further generates distractions selected from a group consisting of visual distractions on the display and audible distractions to increase the level of difficulty.

46. The apparatus of claim 44, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the reaction time of individual users.

47. The apparatus of claim 44, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the accuracy of individual users.

48. The apparatus of claim 44, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device measures and saves to said recording device the number of impulsive responses of individual users.

49. The apparatus of claim 44, which further comprises a recording device;

and wherein said computer device accumulates and saves to said recording device the cumulative time on task of individual users.

50. Apparatus for teaching a user at least one component skill of learning, said apparatus comprising:

a system for measuring electrical activity of the brain of the user to obtain at least one signal having a value indicative of at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of level of focus and level of cognitive processing, and comparing the signal to a reference threshold value to generate an on-task signal when at least a threshold level of the at least one parameter is indicated; and

a computer device for, when the on-task signal is generated;

presenting a display to teach a skill selected from the group consisting of visual tracking, increased time on task, short term memory sequencing, visual discriminatory processing, auditory discriminatory processing, and combined visual and auditory discriminatory processing.

51. Apparatus for teaching a user to improve short term memory sequencing while maintaining a heightened level of attention, said apparatus comprising:

a system for measuring electrical activity of the brain of the user to obtain at least one signal having a value indicative of level of attention and comparing the at least one signal to a reference threshold value to generate an on-task signal when at least a threshold level of attention is indicated;

an input device; and

a computer device for, when the on-task signal is generated, presenting a sequence of representations on a display while prompting the user to watch, to prompt the user to respond on said input device with a remembered sequence, and to indicate success or failure to the user.

52. Apparatus for teaching a user discriminatory processing while maintaining focus, said apparatus comprising:

a system for measuring electrical activity of the brain of the user to obtain at least one signal having a value indicative of level of focus and comparing the at least one signal to a reference threshold value to general an on-task signal when at least a threshold level of focus is indicated;

an input device; and

a computer device for, while the on-task signal is being generated, randomly presenting to the user a decision to be made based on predetermined rules and requiring the user to make a decision.