This article describes the design of a real-time multimodal biofeedback system. Biological or psycho-physiological information from the patients are detected by specific sensors and processed to provide visual feedback, by means of three-dimensional virtual environments and auditory feedback. The device has been designed to capture up to six biomedical signals: EMG, EEG, GSR, temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate. The software was designed using Visual C++ and uses concurrent programming techniques to allow proper treatment of all actions in real time. The virtual environments have been created with 3D Studio Max® and rendered using the resources of the DirectX® graphics library from Microsoft Corp. The developed system resulted, according to reports from volunteers, in enjoyable and interesting sessions, allowing the selection of different types of virtual environments able to adapt to individual needs. All data collected during the biofeedback sessions are stored in a specific database, allowing the generation of reports to the therapist and enabling him to monitor the progress of the patients throughout the treatment. The system has great potential to be uses as a supporting tool for the treatment of various diseases and disorders, as demonstrated by experiments performed on different types of biofeedback. Also, with this work, the authors hope to contribute to the further development of national expertise in the area, as they provide advanced techniques for the production of hardware and software applied to multimodal biofeedback treatments.
Multimodal biofeedback; Real time; Behavioral therapy
