BCI demographics: How many (and what kinds of) people can use an SSVEP BCI?

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems enable communication without movement. It is unclear why some BCI approaches or parameters are less effective with some users. This study elucidates BCI demographics by exploring correlations among BCI performance, personal preferences, and different subject factors such as age or gender. Results showed that most people, despite having no prior BCI experience, could use the Bremen SSVEP BCI system in a very noisy field setting. Performance tended to be better in both young and female subjects. Most subjects stated that they did not consider the flickering stimuli annoying and would use or recommend this BCI system. These and other demographic analyses may help identify the best BCI for each user.