Introduction. Development of a robotic arm that can be operated using an exoskeletal position sensing harness as well as a dry electrode brain-computer interface headset. Design priorities comprise an intuitive and immersive user interface, fast and smooth movement, portability, and cost minimization. Materials and Methods. A robotic arm prototype capable of moving along 6 degrees of freedom has been developed, along with an exoskeletal position sensing harness which was used to control it. Commercially available dry electrode BCI headsets were evaluated. A particular headset model has been selected and is currently being integrated into the hybrid system. Results and Discussion. The combined arm-harness system has been successfully tested and met its design targets for speed, smooth movement, and immersive control. Initial tests verify that an operator using the system can perform pick and place tasks following a rather short learning curve. Further evaluation experiments are planned for the integrated BCI-harness hybrid setup. Conclusions. It is possible to design a portable robotic arm interface comparable in size, dexterity, speed, and fluidity to the human arm at relatively low cost. The combined system achieved its design goals for intuitive and immersive robotic control and is currently being further developed into a hybrid BCI system for comparative experiments. 1. Introduction Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are interactive systems that aim at providing users with an alternative way of translating their volition into control of external devices. Their most popular applications lie within the scope of rehabilitation and motor restoration for patients with severe neurological impairment [1]. Although BCI research is currently undergoing a transitional stage of exploratory efforts [2], commercial applications of BCIs are beginning to emerge [3]. The use of brainwaves to control robotic devices has produced promising clinical results in terms of feasibility [4]. Restoration of a certain degree of motor functions [5, 6] and high accuracy control of robotic prosthetic arms using invasive BCIs has already been demonstrated [7]. Nevertheless, in order for such BCI-controlled robotic applications to achieve end-user maturity, the use of noninvasive, portable, and relatively low-cost systems is considered a required development. Given these recent technological advances, we have focused our research efforts in noninvasive, minimally intrusive, and low-cost BCI. We have designed, partly implemented, and tested an electromechanical robotic system to
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