COMPORTA: New Technologies In The Service Of The Disabled
n many cases persons with limited mobility in their upper limbs;
those with muscular dystrophy, those suffering from certain nervous and
muscular disorders such as cerebral palsy, lose the ability of moving
their wrists and arms and, thereby, may have difficulties handling
certain devices, such as a computer mouse or keyboard or a TV remote
control pad. In the COMPORTA project, work is being carried out with
these people severely disabled in the upper limbs. The aim of the
project is to adapt a portable communicator that will have various
applications for these persons.
Xmadina Tecnología
Adaptativa, S.L.; Eleka Ingeniaritza linguistikoa, S.L.; Robotiker;
Minos 97 and the Bidaideak association have all participated in this
project.
COMPORTA is based on the use of PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant), also
known as electronic agendas. Given their small size and weight, they
are totally portable and are easy to use anywhere. This is why PDAs are
so useful for persons with neurophysical disabilities, and can help
with greater personal autonomy; in effect, they enhance one´s quality
of life. This is because they can be used to communicate anywhere,
listen to music of one´s choice, search the Web or control the
television set.
Nevertheless, those with disabilities in the arms and hands may have
problems in handling the buttons and tactile screens of the usual PDAs.
In order to provide a solution to this, an adaptation has been made of
Etsedi, a PC application created for the Xmadina company.
Editing text
Etsedi created a virtual keyboard on the PC screen, reducing the
complete virtual keyboard of the commercially available variety to just
eight keys. Taking into account that many people with limited mobility
are capable of handling the control pad for a wheelchair with great
precision and skill, the distribution of the 8 keys has been designed
so that they can be selected by means of movements similar to those of
these control pads. That is to say, the virtual keys are selected with
movements carried out in one plane, in different directions.
The Etsedi application edits texts in Windows. Having a choice of
various menus, the user may write numbers, text or special characters.
Each virtual key has a set of characters that have been grouped
together on the basis of an analysis of combination frequencies, while
taking into account that these combinations never occur and, thus,
introducing the text is facilitated and optimised. Besides, the
application predicts the words that the user wishes to write. As the
user keys in a word, the programme automatically comes up with up to 16
possible words around the 8 virtual keys, in such a way that a simple
movement can directly select the desired word. The dictionary used by
the application for this prediction can be updated and adapted by the
user to his or her needs.
The COMPORTA project has adapted this application to PDAs and has
developed the same system of prediction for the Basque language.
Further, they wish to extend the functions so the device can be used
for electronic mail, surfing the Net, and so on.
Giving a voice to the text
People disabled in the upper limbs often have problems in speaking.
This is why COMPORTA, by means of a virtual keyboard, adds a voice to
the written text. Using voice synthesisers and text-to-speech
technology, the text keyed in by the end-user is heard through the
speakers
This part of the project has been the task of Eleka Ingeniaritza
Linguistikoa and, although applications of this technology exist in
other languages, this is the first time in Euskara.
Thus, it will be a bilingual PDA, voice synthesising in both Basque and
Spanish, enabling the end-user to use either language. Moreover,
different tones of voice are available, the user being able to employ
the tone of their choice and which best befits their personality, sex,
age, etc.
Remote Control
The PDA can also be useful for controlling various everyday devices.
This is why, at COMPORTA, they want the PDA also to be a remote control
one for various utilities controlled through the PC. This means the PC
would have the software necessary to control the TV, the music centre,
the DVD, etc., and the PDA would send the corresponding commands to the
PC to control this software.
Wheelchair tuning
So that the PDA is genuinely portable, a support will be designed which
will be an articulated arm adaptable to different models of wheelchair
and which can also be used to support other items.
The device will have small speakers incorporated which will have
sufficient power and quality to be used in noisy environments, such as
the street. Current PDAs have inbuilt speakers but they are not very
powerful; the new, reinforced system will guarantee quality in
communication.
And all this, for how much?
There currently exist a number of devices for the disabled on the
market. However, unfortunately many disabled persons are denied access
to these because, according to the INE (Instituto Nacional de
Estadística) their price is prohibitive. This is why COMPORTA have
focused on the final product being accessible for this target group of
people.
The solution adopted was the use of commercial hardware with adapted
software. In most cases, the hardware is specialised. In this case,
however, it is one that is manufactured in great numbers, thus reducing
the price considerably. Moreover, in choosing a PDA amongst mobile
communicators, the economic factor was also taken into consideration,
as these are also cheaper than other communicators.
Internet reference
http://www.eleka.net/
Contact: Ibon Aizpurua
Elhuyar Fundazioa
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