FLipMouse: a Flexible Alternative Input Solution for People with Severe Motor Restrictions

Abstract

The majority of people with disabilities worldwide cannot afford expensive Assistive Technology, or the tools available do not perfectly match their needs, resulting in no adequate support. In order to overcome these barriers, the low-cost, Do-It-Yourself alternative input device FLipMouse has been developed. With this input device, people with restricted motor capabilities of the upper limbs can access personal computers, smartphones or consumer electronic devices either by lips or finger movement. The FLipMouse is based on a zero-way joystick and a sip-and-puff sensor. Further- more, two external switches can be attached for the creation of additional input signals. An integrated universal infrared transceiver allows control of various consumer electronic de- vices without any additional hard- or software. Two operational modes of the FLipMouse as well as a graphical user interface for configuration provide high flexibility for individual settings according to the user's needs. Using a standardized communication protocol, raw sensor data from the device can be transferred to desired software applications for further processing and analysis. Feasibility checks of the FLipMouse in different user scenarios (gaming, desktop control, smartphone control and playing a musical instrument) with people with different limited motor capabilities con- firmed a high user satisfaction, several of the test subjects continued to use the device on a daily basis. In a quantitative evaluation, the mouse cursor positioning efficiency was tested. The results indicate that the FLipMouse is an affordable, fully functional alternative input device, which offers a high degree of adaptability not provided by similar assistive products available on the market or described in related research.