Attention-Aware Brain Computer Interface to avoid Distractions in Augmented Reality

Recently, the idea of using BCIs in Augmented Reality settings to operate systems has emerged. One problem of such head-mounted displays is the distraction caused by an unavoidable display of control elements even when focused on internal thoughts. In this project, we reduced this distraction by including information about the current attentional state. A multimodal smart-home environment was altered to adapt to the user's state of attention. The system only responded if the attentional orientation was classified as "external". The classification was based on multimodal EEG and eye tracking data. Seven users tested the attention-aware system in comparison to the unaware system. We show that the adaptation of the interface improved the usability of the system. We conclude that more systems would benefit from awareness of the user's ongoing attentional state.