Craig A. Chin

Integrated electromyogram and eye-gaze tracking cursor control system for computer users with motor disabilities

This research pursued the conceptualization, implementation, and testing of a system that allows for computer cursor control without requiring hand movement. The target user group for this system are individuals who are unable to use their hands because of spinal dysfunction or other afflictions. The system inputs consisted of electromyogram (EMG) signals from muscles in the face and point-of-gaze coordinates produced by an eye-gaze tracking (EGT) system. Each input was processed by an algorithm that produced its own cursor update information. These algorithm outputs were fused to produce an effective and efficient cursor control. Experiments were conducted to compare the performance of EMG/EGT, EGT-only, and mouse cursor controls. The experiments revealed that, although EMG/EGT control was slower than EGT-only and mouse control, it effectively controlled the cursor without a spatial accuracy limitation and also facilitated a reliable click operation.

Advances and challenges of wireless body area networks for healthcare applications

The term wireless body area network (WBAN) is used to describe a network of devices connected wirelessly for communication on, in and near the body. In this paper, we survey the current state of various aspects of WBAN technologies that are being used in healthcare applications. In particular, we examine the following areas: monitoring and sensing, power efficient protocols, system architectures, routing, and security. We conclude by discussing open research issues, their potential solutions and future trends.

Enhanced hybrid electromyogram/Eye Gaze Tracking cursor control system for hands-free computer interaction.

This paper outlines the development and initial testing of a new hybrid computer cursor control system based on Eye Gaze Tracking (EGT) and electromyogram (EMG) processing for hands-free control of the computer cursor. The ultimate goal of the system is to provide an efficient computer interaction mechanism for individuals with severe motor disabilities (or specialized operators whose hands are committed to other tasks, such as surgeons, pilots, etc.) The paper emphasizes the enhancements that have been made on different areas of the architecture, with respect to a previous prototype developed by our group, and demonstrates the performance improvement verified for some of the enhancements

Performance analysis of an integrated eye gaze tracking / electromyogram cursor control system

Eye Gaze Tracking (EGT) systems allow individuals with motor disabilities to quickly move a screen cursor on a PC. However, there are limitations in the steadiness and the accuracy of cursor control and clicking capabilities they provide. On the other hand, a cursor control system to step the cursor up, down, left or right in response to voluntary contractions of specific facial muscles, developed by our group, provides steady and precise, albeit slow, cursor control, along with a reliable clicking mechanism. This system identifies muscle contractions by performing digital processing of the Electromyogram (EMG) signals generated by the facial muscles. Based on the complementary nature of the strengths of these two cursor control modalities we have developed an integrated EGT/EMG system in an attempt to consolidate the advantages of both input modalities. We have compared the selection accuracy and speed of an EGT-only cursor control implementation, our integrated EGT/EMG cursor control system and a standard handheld mouse in point-and click trials.