What you see is where you go: testing a gaze-driven power wheelchair for individuals with severe multiple disabilities

  • Authors:
  • Erik Wästlund;Kay Sponseller;Ola Pettersson

  • Affiliations:
  • Karlstad University, Sweden;Adult Habilitation Center, Landstinget i Värmland, Sweden;Embint, Sweden

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 2010 Symposium on Eye-Tracking Research & Applications
  • Year:
  • 2010

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Abstract

Individuals with severe multiple disabilities have little or no opportunity to express their own wishes, make choices and move independently. Because of this, the objective of this work has been to develop a prototype for a gaze-driven device to manoeuvre powered wheelchairs or other moving platforms. The prototype has the same capabilities as a normal powered wheelchair, with two exceptions. Firstly, the prototype is controlled by eye movements instead of by a normal joystick. Secondly, the prototype is equipped with a sensor that stops all motion when the machine approaches an obstacle. The prototype has been evaluated in a preliminary clinical test with two users. Both users clearly communicated that they appreciated and had mastered the ability to control a powered wheelchair with their eye movements.