Combining brain-computer interface with virtual reality: Review and prospect

This paper illustrates the architecture and principles of brain-computer interface and virtual reality (BCI-VR) system respectively, and how they are interrelated. In this brand-new hybrid system, BCI uses bio-signal to serve as input and VR displays the result and serves as output. Current research and applications are mainly focus on the new input and output characteristics of BCI-VR respectively in terms of different effects, purposes and functions. For instance, effects include feedback enhancement, result display; purposes include better rehabilitation, psychological study, to substantiate assumptions, or to design better algorithms for BCI; functions include a new BCI-input mode to boost immersion in virtual environment (VE) and promote accuracy in hybrid system. This paper classifies and analyzes those researches above with concrete details and illustrations. Aside from introduction and current research review, prospect and conclusion, targeted at respective BCI and VR parts and consider the BCI-VR system as a whole, will also be discussed in the latter part. We explain the challenges that still exist and put forward some potential possibilities that how BCI assists VR each other respectively in different aspects for future research, in terms of how BCI assists VR, in four perspectives, and vice versa, in three perspectives.