An improved Chinese phonetic Morse code key‐in system for severely disabled individuals
Cheng‐San Yang, Ming‐Long Yeh, Hsiu‐Chen Huang, Li‐Yeh Chuang, Cheng‐Hong Yang · Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers · 2009
Morse code has been shown to be a valuable tool in assistive technology, augmentative and alternative communication, and rehabilitation for people with various neuromuscular diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy. In this paper, we designed and developed an improved Chinese phonetic Morse code on‐screen key‐in system which uses Morse code as an adapted access communication tool for persons with disabilities who cannot use a traditional keyboard. The proposed system consists of three parts: an input control module, a recognition module, and a word processing module. The signal transmission is accomplished via radio frequency (RF), which can be transmitted over long distances without space limitations. The developed system uses an adaptive algorithm and support vector machines to recognize the input Morse code. Moreover, a direct mode for key‐in is incorporated into the system, so that users no longer need to memorize Chinese phonetic Morse code. Manipulation of this system is easy and quick. Practical tests showed that efficiency could be improved by 33%, and typing speed improved by 25% compared to Yang's and Luo's methods from the literature, respectively.