Motor imagery based brain-computer interfaces

This chapter is intended as a comprehensive introduction to motor imagery (MI) based brain-computer interface (BCI) systems for readers with sufficient technological background but maybe not experts of the field. First, we provide a summary of all basic aspects that are necessary to understand how MI is generated and how this information can be extracted from brain signals to design a BCI system. We enumerate the most common procedures implemented in “classical” approaches and describe the difficulties that BCI researchers face to implement sufficiently robust systems. Then, we report on open issues to improve MI-based BCI technology and summarize current trends to at least partially overcome these difficulties. In summary, we give an understandable overview of MI-based BCI systems, from basic aspects to more recent advancements.