Using Handhelds to Help People with Motor Impairments

患有肌肉营养不良症(MD)和某些其他肌肉和神经系统疾病的人，如脑瘫(CP)和肌萎缩侧索硬化症(ALS)，通常会失去粗大运动控制，同时保持精细运动控制。其结果是，他们经常难以操作鼠标和键盘。然而，他们通常保留了手指的使用，可以控制铅笔或触控笔，因此可以使用掌上电脑。即使是可以使用正常键盘的运动障碍者，也往往很容易疲劳，因此拥有各种可以切换的输入技术可能会让他们更长时间地使用计算机。该项目将开发各种技术，使患有各种运动障碍的人能够使用手持计算机作为与计算机的接口。PI将发明新的输入技术，用于输入文本和控制鼠标指针，这些技术针对有运动障碍的人进行了优化。他将通过广泛的正式和非正式用户测试来衡量和改进用户界面和输入技术，这些测试将突出每种输入技术将有用的条件和缺陷。他将通过手写笔和手持用户界面确定哪些参数最能反映运动障碍的表现。他将开发在手持设备上运行的新型软件，治疗师和研究人员可以使用该软件来测量运动障碍患者的表现参数，并自动调整参数和输入技术的选择。要研究的手持式文本输入的特定技术包括为有肌肉困难的人设计的自适应单词预测和单词补全(尤其是，用户的手指必须移动以选择单词的距离应该最小化)，以及通过使用手持屏幕的边缘来指定字符的新交互技术(初步调查表明，已经是手持设备一部分的凸起边缘或附加的覆盖指南可以帮助患有某些肌肉障碍的人更准确地输入文本)。输入鼠标位置的新技术将包括软件过滤器。更广泛的影响：这项研究的结果是，一些不会使用计算机的肌肉损伤患者将能够使用计算机，而许多可以使用计算机的人将能够更有效地使用计算机，并且能够更长时间地使用计算机。此外，老年人通常患有关节炎等运动受限疾病，手持界面可能是一个有吸引力的、不会加重电脑访问的选择。作为该项目的一部分，将开发的改进的评估工具将使治疗师更容易确定适合每个人的正确互动技术，这将有助于优化每个人的有效性。PI计划与美国脑瘫协会(UCP)、肌肉营养不良协会(MDA)、匹兹堡大学医学中心(UPMC)和其他机构合作，以确保作为这项研究的一部分开发的工具和技术将被部署到许多受益的人的实际使用中。所获得的知识将通过通常的研究渠道以及北美康复工程学会(RESNA)和治疗师使用的其他论坛传播，以尽可能影响更多的受众。

People with Muscular Dystrophy (MD) and certain other muscular and nervous system disorders such as Cerebral Palsy (CP) and ALS often lose their gross motor control while retaining fine motor control. The result is that they frequently have difficulty operating a mouse and keyboard. However, they typically retain the use of their fingers, and can control a pencil or stylus, and thus can use a handheld computer such as a Palm. Even people with motor impairments who can use a normal keyboard often tire easily, so having a variety of input techniques that they can switch among may allow the use of computers for longer periods. This project will develop techniques to enable people with a wide range of motor impairments to use a handheld computer as an interface to computers. The PI will invent new input techniques for entering text and controlling a mouse pointer that are optimized for use by people with motor impairments. He will measure and refine the user interfaces and input techniques through extensive formal and informal user testing that will highlight the conditions and impairments for which each input technique will be useful. He will determine which parameters best characterize a motor impairment with respect to a user's performance with a stylus and handheld user interface. He will develop novel software that runs on a handheld device and can be used by therapists and researchers to measure the performance parameters of individuals with motor impairments, and to automatically adjust parameters and selection of input techniques. Particular techniques to be investigated for handheld text input include adaptive word prediction and word completion designed for people with muscular difficulties (in particular, the distance the user's fingers must travel to select a word should be minimized), and new interaction techniques for specifying characters by using the edges of a handheld's screen (preliminary investigations suggest that the raised edges that are already part of handhelds, or an additional overlay guide, can help people with certain muscular disabilities such as tremors or spasms enter text more accurately). New techniques for entering mouse locations will include software filters. Broader Impacts: As a consequence of this research, some people with muscular impairments who could not use a computer will be able to, and many of those who could use one will be able to do so more effectively and for longer periods of time. Furthermore, the elderly commonly suffer from motor-limiting conditions like arthritis, and a handheld interface may be an attractive non-aggravating option for computer access. The improved evaluation tools to be developed as part of this project will make it easier for therapists to determine the right interaction techniques for each individual, which will help to optimize each person's effectiveness. The PI plans to collaborate with the United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Association, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and others, to ensure that the tools and techniques developed as part of this research will be deployed for real use by many people who will benefit. The knowledge gained will be disseminated through the usual research channels, as well as through the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America (RESNA) and other forums used by therapists, so as to impact as large an audience as possible.