Scientists at the University of California, San Diego are developing high-tech assistive technology to help individuals with disabilities. Using the most advanced ubiquitous computing technologies, the project will look into helping people facing a wide variety of challenges.
Nadir Weibel and his team has already started to work on locked-in syndrome, a condition that damages part of the brainstem, leaving individuals aware but unable to move or communicate. Individuals with locked-in syndrome—which usually results from a stroke—are unable to move or verbally communicate due to paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles except for the eyes.
The team will investigate ways of leveraging eye-tracking technology to translate a patient’s eye movement into different functionalities that will allow affected people to communicate and be more independent.
The team is working on applications leveraging computer-generated speech, social media communication, special book readers, novel musical instruments and more.
A $300,000 gift given by the Moxie Foundation will support the computer scientists at the University of California for this project.
Based in San Diego, the Moxie Foundation is dedicated to enriching and empowering individuals and communities by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success, personal health and the environment. “We believe one of the best ways of learning is by actually doing something, not just reading about it and subsequently getting the best grade possible. This project is a wonderful example of experiential education.”
The funding will support teams of students led by Weibel, for two years with the goal of prototyping technology that will help disabled individuals to communicate.
Weibel and his team has developed a prototype called “EyeHome”. The EyeHome system links together independent eye-controlled applications, much like the home screen on a smartphone.
“It’s very difficult to get funding for a project like this—it’s very experimental,” said Weibel. “But the Moxie Foundation has been a supporter of our work from the beginning. Thanks to their investment, we will be able to continue our research and make it scalable. At the same time, we are giving students an opportunity to use what they’ve learned in class to make a real difference in the world—and they are eager for that kind of experience.”
The assistive technology project came about from one of Weibel’s undergraduate classes: CSE118: Ubiquitous Computing. The course provides an opportunity for students to apply their computer science skills and cutting-edge technology to address real-world problems. In the fall 2014 class, Weibel challenged his students to come up with possible solutions to assist a patient with locked-in syndrome, using technology such as Google Glass and eye-tracking systems. By the end of the quarter, the students had developed a number of promising solutions, and a few students volunteered to continue the work with Weibel outside of class, with the goal of creating an early prototype.
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