A Cheonjiin Layout Mental Speller: Developing a Simple and Cost-Effective EEG-Based Brain–Computer Interface System

A brain–computer interface (BCI) enables direct communication between the brain and external devices by translating neural activity into executable control commands. Among electroencephalography (EEG)-based paradigms, steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) is widely adopted due to its high signal-to-noise ratio, robustness, and minimal calibration requirements. While SSVEP-based spellers have been extensively investigated, many existing systems rely on high-channel-density EEG recordings and computationally complex processing pipelines, and are primarily designed for alphabetic input structures. In this study, we present an SSVEP-based Korean speller that integrates the Cheonjiin keyboard layout to support intuitive composition of Hangul syllables. The proposed system adopts a simple configuration, employing only five visual stimulation frequencies (6.67–12 Hz) and two occipital EEG channels (O1 and O2), with real-time frequency recognition performed using canonical correlation analysis (CCA) within a 1.5 s sliding window. EEG signals were acquired at 200 Hz using an OpenBCI Ganglion board, band-pass filtered (5–45 Hz), and processed with harmonic sinusoidal reference templates for multi-frequency classification. The proposed interface generates five control commands (up, down, left, right, and select), enabling directional cursor navigation and character confirmation on a 4 × 4 virtual Cheonjiin keyboard. Experimental validation with three healthy participants demonstrated an average classification accuracy of approximately 82% and an information transfer rate (ITR) of 31.2 bits/min. Frequency-domain analysis revealed clear spectral peaks at the stimulation frequencies and their harmonics, indicating reliable SSVEP responses. The proposed system employs a simple two-channel configuration integrated with a Korean language-specific input structure, demonstrating that reliable SSVEP-based communication can be realized without computationally intensive algorithms or high-cost EEG acquisition systems. These findings demonstrate that reliable SSVEP-based communication can be achieved using a low-channel configuration without reliance on high-cost EEG equipment.