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This paper describes the experiences of the first author, who has been diagnosed with the neuromuscular disease Friedreich's Ataxia more than 25 years ago, with the innovative approach to human-computer interaction characterized by the software tool OnScreenDualScribe. Originally developed by (and for!) the first author, the tool replaces the standard input devices — i.e., keyboard and mouse — with a small numerical keypad, making optimal use of his abilities. The paper attempts to illustrate some of the difficulties the first author usually has to face when operating a computer, due to considerable motor problems. It will be shown what he tried in the past, and why OnScreenDualScribe, offering various assistive techniques — including word prediction, an ambiguous keyboard, and stepwise pointing operations — is indeed a viable alternative. The ultimate goal is to help not only one single person, but to make the system — which does not accelerate entry very much, but clearly reduces the required effort — available to anyone with similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This demo actually showcases not one but four different text entry methods for persons with very severe physical disabilities. All four rely on the same kind of input signals: tiny contractions of the brow muscle which are captured using electromechanical coupling. The input device involves a piezoelectric element which is attached to the user's forehead and kept in place with the help of an elastic sports headband. The switch-like signals are used in combination with the HaMCoS system - which allows to fully emulate a two-button mouse - and various auxiliary applications to enter text. This proposal talks about the input hardware in more detail and describes the text entry ideas shown in the demo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This demo is about OSDS, a very powerful tool allowing computer users who cannot use a standard keyboard to replace that with a compact number-pad-like device, the so-called DualPad. The idea is to offer efficient text entry despite the smaller number of keys. The tool basically implements two input methods: One involving the selection of row and column of a character in a two-dimensional virtual keyboard and the other one using an ambiguous keyboard with dictionary-based disambiguation. A special focus is on its applicability to "real-world" use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is to propose a demo and poster about a tool designed to assist persons who are temporarily or permanently unable to reliably operate the buttons of a physical pointing device, for example because of tenosynovitis (TSV). It monitors a dedicated muscle of the user and emulates a click event at the current position of the mouse pointer in response to a contraction of that muscle (as small as raising the eyebrow). The ClickType (= type of the click) - left, right, single, double, drag - is selected by the user (who is also responsible for moving the mouse pointer) and stays valid until the selection of a new one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3dScan is a scanning-based software system allowing its user to interact with the immediate environment by intentionally contracting a single muscle of choice as input signals. The system is targeted at persons with severe physical impairments with the objective to improve its users' quality of life by empowering them to independently perform certain activities of daily life (ADL), e.g., to open the door by activating a suitable switch or to control the TV remote. The required input signals can, for example, be produced by merely raising the eyebrow ('frowning') and thus demand only a minimum of physical effort. A recent design change in 3dScan's data acquisition component made it possible to add telephony functionality to the list of supported ADL's. The proposed poster describes the 3dScan's telephone module which now is already in a revised and mature state. The usability of the newest version of the module was tested in two evaluations, where the second one involved participants belonging to the target population, and the results are presented in the poster [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This proposal is about a poster dealing with a scanning-based software system, which aims at giving persons with severe motor impairments a means to interact with their immediate environment by issuing tiny contractions of an arbitrary muscle. The implementation makes use of an extension of row-column scanning, called three-dimensional scanning, which reduces the time required to select a certain item by eliminating the need to scan long rows or columns. A simple experiment comparing the resulting text entry capabilities to conventional row-column scanning shows that the entry rate can be increased by over 30 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This proposal is about a brain-controlled electrically powered wheelchair. The system comprises a brain-computer interface based on steady-state visual evoked potentials and a processing unit relying on a finite state machine (FSM). Results of first simulation experiments comparing two different FSMs are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a poster about an alternative text entry method, based on a commercially available game controller as input device, as well as a demo of the accompanying software application. The system was originally intended for a particular gentleman with the neuromuscular disease Friedreich's Ataxia (FA), who asked us to help him - by developing an optimal keyboard replacement for him - already several years ago. Our work focused on his impressions in an initial case study testing this newest attempt. Taking the tester's comments into account, the outcome seems to be rather promising in meeting his needs, and it appears very probable that the system could be of help for anyone with a similar condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]