Electrooculography based electronic communication device for individuals with ALS
Alex Larson, Joshua Herrera, Kiran George, Aaron Matthews · 2017
Unfortunately, nearly one million individuals in the United States are affected with paralysis, loss of motor skills, motor neuron disease such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). As a result, there are many people who are unable to operate a computer or other electronic devices. This paper presents a low-cost electrooculography (EOG) based electronic communication system that allows a user, specifically a persons diagnosed with ALS, to perform basic computer tasks by recording eye movement. Subjects who participated in the prototype testing were healthy, and instructed to keep head movements to a minimum so that there would be no influence on how the mouse functions. Each subject was instructed to complete a set of tasks for a total of two trials. The prototype test results showed that healthy subjects could complete most tasks within a given timeframe. Results also showed improved performance in subjects as they become more comfortable with the device.