Pointing Device Usage Guidelines for People With Quadriplegia: A Simulation and Validation Study Utilizing an Integrated Pointing Device Apparatus

Abstract

This study undertakes a simulation and validation experiment to provide guidelines regarding pointing device usage for quadriplegic individuals assisted by a newly developed integrated pointing device apparatus (IPDA). The simulation experiment involving 30 normal subjects whose upper limb movement was restricted by splints. Another 15 subjects with high level cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) were recruited for the validation study. All normal subjects employed six control modes for target-acquisition and drag-and-drop tasks using an IPDA to integrate common pointing devices. A previously designed software was used to evaluate the operational efficiency (OE), expressed as "able performance" (%AP), of the subjects. The experimental results indicated that the OE of normal subjects for controlling the pointing devices were dominated first by using the unilateral hand (69-100 %AP), then by using the wrist/hand (65-73 %AP), and finally by using either bilateral body parts or the combination of limb and chin (45-53 %AP). The OE for operating an orientation-rotated mouse using the dominant wrist/hand via IPDA in both tasks was equivalent to that for operating a trackball using the dominant hand. The experimental results obtained by subjects with SCI also demonstrated similar findings, although the OEs in each control mode were lower than in normal subjects. Results of this study provide valuable guidelines for selecting and integrating common pointing devices using IPDA for quadriplegic individuals. The priority for selecting which body part should control the pointing devices was as follows: unilateral hands, unilateral wrist/hands, and either bilateral body parts or a limb and chin/head/neck in combination.

Human–Computer Interface Controlled by the Lip

“…Chin control is one of the best options currently available for people with tetraplegia; this consists of a power wheelchair joystick adapted to be controlled by the chin [19]. Some systems provide connection with computer as a pointing device [20], [21]. A great advantage of the joystick is the possibility of soft and free movements in any direction.…”

Comparison of the Using Ability Between a Smartphone and a Conventional Mobile Phone in People With Cervical Cord Injury

“…According to ISO 9241 (part 9), click and moving the pointer were the most important components in non-keyboard input devices. A previous study showed that multi-directional pointing better reflected the performance of devices over one-directional pointing [4,5]. …”

“…The studies showed that a disabled person used a computer more easily when provided the appropriate assistive devices [3,4]. There is no study on the smartphone usage abilities in people with disability.…”

Alternative communication systems for people with severe motor disabilities: a survey

“…These two same parameters, action time and missed selections, are also adopted by Junker et al for the evaluation of Cyberlink, a human-machine interface using simultaneously EMG and EEG signals [2]. In [91] the authors developed a pointing device (IPDA: Integrated Pointed Device Aparatus) intended for people with tetraplegia, which assigns the pointing and clicking functions of a mouse to different devices and different body parts. The criterion selected to measure its performance, named OE (Operational Efficiency), is defined like the reverse of the task completion time.…”