Computer interface to use head movement for handicapped people

Abstract

We propose one computer interface device for handicapped people, which enables the operator to communicate with the computer without typing on the computer keyboard. Input signals of the interface device are movements of the head and breathing of the handicapped operator The movements of the head are detected by an image processing system. One feature of our system is that the operator is requested to wear special glasses which has three LED marks. Due to the special geometry of the LED marks, the 3-dimensional posture and position of the glasses can be detected by a simple image processing algorithm. The movement of the head is used as a positioning signal of the computer cursor on the computer monitor. Breathing of the operator is used as a switching signal. Using this interface device, we built an environmental control system and also a word processing system. Experimental results reveal the applicability of our system.