ИСТИНА

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) based on motor imagery (MI) are some of the most common noninvasive BCIs. Along with BCIs based on attempted movements, they are used for stroke rehabilitation. Both BCI types have significant disadvantages: individual MI skills have high variation and attempted movements are difficult to study in healthy participants. A promising alternative could be based on quasi- movements (QM), i.e., voluntary movements which are minimized by the agent until they become undetectable by the electromyography. In this paper we present the first results of a study contrasting QM with MI. These results include reports collected from 16 participants after QM and MI training. Participants performed QM, real and imaginary movements in fast-paced sequences. From the obtained reports we conclude that one of the key subjective differences between QM and MI consists in prior intentions, while they may be very similar on the level of execution. Our experiment offers a useful model for exploring the distinction between mental and physical actions. In addition, participants’ reports were in line with previous observations on the easiness of mastering QM, further supporting their possible usefulness in BCI control.