Comparison of Point-and-Click Performance Between the Brainfingers BCI and the Mouse

This study quantitatively evaluates the performance of a non-invasive hybrid brain–computer interface (BCI) compared to a conventional mouse in pointing (point-and-click) tasks. A commercial wearable BCI (Brainfingers), based on electromyography (EMG) and electrooculography (EOG) signals with low-level electroencephalography (EEG) components, was assessed against a Microsoft Optical Mouse using ISO/TS 9241-411-based one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) target acquisition tasks. Pointer coordinates were recorded and analyzed using Fitts’ law metrics. A total of 48 non-disabled participants completed the experiments. The results reveal significant performance differences between the two input devices. The BCI device exhibits substantially lower performance than the mouse across the reported Fitts’ law measures. Mean throughput was 0.35 bits/s for the BCI and 6.03 bits/s for the mouse in the 1D tests and 0.43 bits/s for the BCI and 5.17 bits/s for the mouse in the 2D tests. Despite the BCI’s low performance and although the present experiments involved non-disabled participants, the findings, considered alongside the prior literature on Brainfingers and non-invasive BCIs for computer access, suggest that the device may still have assistive technology value for users with severe motor impairments.