Keynote Speakers

Brain-Robot Interaction

Future neuroprostheses will be tightly coupled with the user in such a way that the resulting system can replace and restore impaired upper limb functions because controlled by the same neural signals than their natural counterparts. A key component of these neuroprostheses is a brain-machine interface (BMI), which enables users to interact with computers and robots through the voluntary modulation of their brain activity. The central tenet of a BMI is the capability to distinguish different patterns of brain activity in real time, each being associated to a particular intention or mental task. This is a challenging problem due to the limited information carried by brain signals we can measure, no matter the recording modality. How then is it possible to operate complex brain-controlled robots over long periods of time? In this talk I will argue that efficient brain-machine interaction, as the execution of voluntary movements, requires subject’s learning and the integration of several parts of the CNS with the external actuators. I will put forward principles to design neuroprostheses, which I will illustrate through working prototypes of brain-controlled robots and applications for disabled and able-bodied people alike.

Biography

Dr. José del R. Millán is a professor and holds the Carol Cockrell Curran Chair in the Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also a professor in the Department of Neurology at Dell Medical School, professor (by Courtesy) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, faculty of the Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences, and member of the Institute for Neuroscience. He is co-director of the UT CARE Initiative and associate director of Texas Robotics.

Dr. Millán received a PhD in computer science from the Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, in 1992. Prior to joining UT Austin, he was a research scientist at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in Ispra (Italy) and a senior researcher at the Idiap Research Institute in Martigny (Switzerland). Most recently, he was Defitech Foundation Chair in Brain-Machine Interface at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.

Dr. Millán has made several seminal contributions to the field of brain-machine interfaces (BMI), especially based on electroencephalogram signals. Most of his achievements revolve around the design of brain-controlled robots. He has received several recognitions for these seminal and pioneering achievements, notably the IEEE-SMC Nobert Wiener Award in 2011, elevation to IEEE Fellow in 2017, and elected Fellow of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering in 2020. In addition to his work on the fundamentals of BMI and design of neuroprosthetics, Dr. Millán is prioritizing the translation of BMI to people who live with motor and cognitive disabilities. In parallel, he is designing BMI technology to offer new interaction modalities for able-bodied people that augment their abilities.