SBIR Phase I: Neurotechnology for Enhanced Access to Virtual and Physical Reality

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in developing a bi-directional interface between the mind and machine to support advanced neuroprosthetics and devices aimed at restoring functional independence to the more than 21 million Americans struggling with paralysis and motor deficits. This innovative product will enable individuals to seamlessly connect to the digital world by using thought to control adaptive Artificial Intelligence (AI) and wearable devices, linking directly to myriad devices and leveraging advanced computer vision, embodied AI, and accessible extended reality (XR). By integrating AI, existing invasive and non-invasive neural devices merge with virtual and augmented reality technologies to accelerate Brain Computer Interface (BCI) research and provide portable and accessible BCI development platforms. Additionally, the brain-to-AI interface can adapt to various user input modalities. This scalable design platform presents a significant commercial opportunity and contributes to national health and welfare by accelerating scientific progress in service of individuals with a need for enhanced physical and neurological supports. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to overcome the limitations of low bandwidth neural control in brain-computer interfaces (BCI) and accelerate the development of deployable BCI solutions that can restore independent activities of daily living (ADLs) in individuals with sensorimotor needs. To achieve this, the project will develop a Unity-based eXtended Reality (XR) BCI-development platform, a unifying API capable of handling data from diverse real-time digital signal processing pipelines, and sophisticated XR environments simulating ADLs. An inferential AI agent will be designed to translate minimal API inputs into complex ADL actions. The development of the AI agent will focus on designing a meaningful and solvable ADL challenge in virtual reality (VR), which will then be replicated in augmented reality (AR) to support future XR-BCI deployment. Anticipated technical results include the development of a sophisticated XR-BCI design platform and API, along with the successful demonstration of AI-mediated XR-BCI in both VR and AR settings. This project combines state-of-the-art AI and XR spatial computing to advance scientific development and accelerate the deployment of real-world BCI solutions that can restore functional independence to those with sensorimotor impairments. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.