Research and development into a generic assistive platform, which can accommodate a variety
of patients suffering from a wide range of motor disabilities is described. Methodologies
were established, whereby the design could be made sufficiently flexible, such that it could
be programmed to suit these people in terms of their needs and level of motor disability.
This needed to be achieved without redesigning the system for each person.
Suitable sensors were chosen to sense the residual motor function of the disabled individual,
while being non-invasive and safe for use. These sensors included a dual-axis accelerometer
(tilt switch), a 6-key touch sensor and a SCATIR switch (blink/wink sensor). The placement
of the sensors, for the purpose of this study, were restricted to sensing arm (dual-axis accelerometer)
or finger movements (touch sensors), head and neck movements (accelerometer)
and blink/wink and/or eye-brow movements (SCATIR switch). These input devices
were used to control a variety of different output functions, as required by the user, while
being non-invasive and safe for use.
After ethics approval was obtained, volunteers with various motor disabilities were subsequently
invited to test the system and thereafter requested to answer a series of questions
regarding the performance and potential usefulness of the system. The input sensors were
found to be comfortable and easy to use, while performing predictably and with very little
to no fatigue experienced. The system performed as expected and accepted all of the input
sensors attached to it, while repeating specific tasks multiple times. It was also established
that the system was customisable in terms of providing a specific output for a specific and
voluntary input. The system could be improved by further compacting and simplifying
the design and operation, while using wireless sensors were necessary. It was thereafter
concluded that the system, in general, was capable of satisfying the various users’ diverse
requirements, thereby achieving the required objectives
