New Device to Help Disabled Children Access Tablets

There are researchers throughout Georgia Tech that are trying to expand on the world of tablets to those disabled children that have limited mobility that makes it more difficult to perform the gestures that are needed in order to control these types of devices. Access4Kids is a new wireless input device that easily uses a new sensor system to translate those physical movements into the gestures needed to control these types of tablets. There are a lot of custom made apps that these children can use, along with the favorites like Facebook and even YouTube. “Every child wants access to tablet technology. So to say, ‘No you can’t use it because you have a physical limitation’ is totally unfair,” Howard said. “We’re giving them the ability to use what’s in their mind so they have an outlet to impact the world.”

The new device includes three force sensitive resistors that are able to measure the pressure given and then convert it into a signal that is able to instruct the tablet on what to do. The device can be worn on the forearm or even be placed on a wheel chair and then hit the sensors with the fist or hand. This then is converted as touch on the tablet. Throughout schools across the country, more than 200,000 students are excluded from using the technology given to the rest of the students due to the fact that they lack the small motor skills needed to control the tablets or laptops. There are communication devices that can be used, but not tablets or smart phones. “We can’t keep it in the lab,” Howard said. “It doesn’t make sense for me to have one child, one at a time look at it and say ‘Hey that’s really cool’ and not have it out there in the world. The real goal is to make it safe and efficient so someone can make it into a commercial product.”