The Effect of Robot-Guided Meditation on Intra-Brain EEG Phase Synchronization
Sue Yoon, Maryam Alimardani, Kazuo Hiraki
Abstract
In this study, we examined the effect of mindfulness meditation facilitated by human-robot interaction (HRI) on brain activity. EEG signals were collected from two groups of participants; Meditation group who practiced mindfulness meditation with a social robot and Control group who only listened to a lecture by the robot. We compared brain functional connectivity between the two groups by computing EEG phase synchrony during HRI session. The results revealed a significantly lower global phase synchrony in beta frequency band of the Meditation group, which has been previously reported as an indication of reduced cognitive processing and achieving the mindful state in experienced meditators. Our findings demonstrate the potential of Socially-Assistive Robots (SAR) for integration in mental healthcare and optimization of the intervention effects. Additionally, our study puts forward new measures for objective monitoring of HRI effect on the user's neurophysiological responses.