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Helping the Disabled Move Forward
with It’s not just ordinary folks but the disabled, too, who are reaping the benefits of modern technology. Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R) is actively pursuing new research initiatives through its arm - New Initiatives Department. NeuroInformatics is the first such effort launched by I²R in October 2003. Its goal was to hone its research and development in Brain Machine Interface (BMI) so as to make direct communication and control by thought a reality. BMI seeks to enhance human capabilities by linking technology to our muscles or senses. This breakthrough is especially useful to people with severe disability or neurological disorders. Taking the technologies developed in NeuroInformatics Lab further, I²R initiated the project, Brainy Communicator, in collaboration with the Society of Physically Disabled (SPD) for trial and testing. The objective of this project is to develop and test a thought-controlled communication device to help disabled people with complete loss of physical limb movement to access computers. The success of this project was evident when it overcame the competition to win the Samsung DigitAll Hope Grant in November, 2004. Brainy Communicator is a first of its kind innovation built upon the paradigm and analysis methods for P300 brain signal classification, which offers 80 percent less errors and twice the information transfer rate as compared to other leading technologies. It is estimated that there are approximately 350,000 people who suffer from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord - and approximately 1 million tetraplegic sufferers worldwide. As both these groups of people may have severe mobility limitations and speech limitations, most of them are very dependent on their caregivers. While a good number of them have very clear mind and are able to think well, there is virtually no avenue for them to express their mind and communicate with others. These disabled people have very little options in computer access too. But there’s where it all changes with Brainy Communicator. Now, they can write letters, send emails, answer or ask questions. Brainy Communicator can also be modified to be a command-and-control device so that a person can use it to select control environmental applicants such as TV, radio, air-conditioners, etc. Looking ahead, there will be two major development stages. In stage 1 of research (lasting for 12 months), 3 to 5 volunteer disabled participants will be invited to try and test Brainy Communicator. Subsequently, stage 2 of research (also lasting for 12 months) will hopefully see another 10 volunteer disabled participants involved. If the research and test results are proven successful, the solutions can then be marketed to the specific target groups. Figure 1 - Block Diagram of Brainy Communicator
Figure 2 - Brainy Communicator Prototype.
For enquiries/explore collaboration, please contact:
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