The BCI-Ageing project is aimed at developing both a cognitive training application and an assistive application using EEG-based brain computer interface (BCI) systems. Firstly, a cognitive training application will be developed using a sensorimotor-based BCI. As endogenous BCI system, it requires extensive training. Hence, the interaction of users with this application could be a suitable training to prevent cognitive impairment. Secondly, a P300-based BCI system will be developed. It will be a domotic application to assist elderly people who have severe impairments to interact with their environment.

Both applications address the problems associated with ageing: preventing ageing effects and assistance of dependent elderly people. In order to carry out these global objectives, the following specific objectives are established:

1. Selecting participants in the study. Elderly people in the initial stages of ageing will be selected for testing the cognitive training application, whereas for testing the assistive application dependent, elderly people will be selected.
2. Studying EEG signal processing methods for controlling sensorimotor and P300 based BCIs.
3. Implementing the selected signal processing methods.
4. Identifying suitable cognitive tasks. A study of the most suitable mental tasks to prevent cognitive impairments caused by ageing will be performed.
5. Developing a BCI application for cognitive training. The application will propose mental tasks of growing difficulty to the users.
6. Identifying dependent elderly people’s needs. The opinion of elderly people and their therapists will be taken into account to identify these needs.
7. Developing an assistive BCI application for environment control. The application will allow the users to control the electronic and domotic devices available at home.
8. Testing the cognitive training BCI application. It includes EEG signal recording, EEG recordings processing and analysis of the results of the tests performed by elderly end-users from the CRE-DyD with the cognitive training application.
9. Testing the assistive domotic application. It includes EEG signal recording, EEG recordings processing and analysis of the results of the tests performed by dependent elderly end-users from the CRE-DyD with the assistive application.
10. Analyzing the results in order to assess the usefulness of the selected signal processing methods and the developed applications.
11. Assessing the developed applications. An assessment of the influence that the cognitive training has on the control of other kind of BCI applications.
12. Extracting conclusions. Conclusions will be extracted from the experience of end users and the results of the tests.
13. Publishing the results.
14. Commercial exploitation of results. All innovations (methodologies and software applications) developed during the project could be patented.