The SIDec (‘Enhancing Speech Imagery Decoding for EEG-based Brain-Computer Interface Systems’) project officially kicked-off on Thursday 18 January 2024 at a meeting held between the Centre for Biomedical Cybernetics and the Malta Council of Science and Technology (MCST).

The core aim of SIDec is to improve the decoding of imagined speech from brain signals, such that words spoken by an individual in their mind can be deciphered with greater accuracy and consistency. This project will utilise electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, which can be recorded non-invasively using a cap with sensors that can easily be worn by the user. Improved decoding of speech imagery EEG signals can lead to the development of more reliable and robust brain-computer interfaces. Such systems can be used to intuitively control external devices like graphical user interfaces or a robot in a completely hands-free manner. EEG-based speech imagery brain-computer interfaces constitute a relatively new area of research which is gaining interest internationally.

The project will investigate novel signal processing, machine learning and deep learning techniques for decoding brain signals. The impact of external factors on data quality will be investigated, as well as the decipherability of various words. The culmination of the project will be in the development of an interactive brain-computer interface which builds on novel findings from the project. This interface would allow the user to interact with an external device through imagined speech. 

SIDec is a two-year collaborative project between the Centre for Biomedical Cybernetics at the University of Malta and the Computer Science Department at Hangzhou Dianzi University in China.

The team in Malta is being led by Prof. Ing. Kenneth Camilleri, together with co-investigator Dr Tracey Camilleri from the Department of Systems and Control Engineering, and Systems Engineer Dr Natasha Padfield from the Centre, while the team in China is led by Prof. Yong Peng. The collaboration will facilitate knowledge exchange and academic dialogue between Malta and China.

Project SIDec received funding from the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) and the Ministry for Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (MOST), through the SINO-MALTA Fund 2023 Call (Science and Technology Cooperation).

Information and image source: