Problem Definitions and Advantages of Our Solution
Problem Definitions and Advantages of Our Solution
Problem Definitions - The need for Affordable Assistant Technology
Various lesions and diseases of the body may result in different levels of motor activity loss. Powerful muscles may retain partial activity in some cases, for example in the fingers and legs. Some people may lose their ability to talk coherently, but they are still able to produce various sounds. Full paralysis means eye movement is retained in most situations.
[more]Imagine for a moment if you will, that you wake up one day and you are completely paralyzed. How would you communicate with others in the room? How would you get your morning coffee, or breakfast for that matter? You can’t effectively say what you want so you are now at the mercy of a dietician who choose foods that are “best” for you. How can you tell them that you don’t like the taste of lemon in your tea or burnt toast? For that matter, how will you be able to communicate anything with others regarding pain levels, basic needs and anything else you have to say?
[more]With the development of computer technology hospital staff’s monotonous work with paralyzed patients is increasingly being replaced by specially developed programs. These programs perform tasks completely identical to those of an assistant - alternately showing the patient on the computer screen alphabet letters from which by blinking or other eye movements he selects the right one , thus composing words and sentences. Such programs are designed to work with different types of cameras and are often part of full-fledged software hardware systems, consisting of eye tracking devices and applications processing the captured image of the patient's eye and the text or graphic matrix.
[more]Each person tries to live a full life and care for his own health and those of people close to him. Unfortunately, a full life in the usual understanding of the term is not granted to everyone - stress and anxiety, trauma and the effects of surgical intervention, poor living conditions or bad habits, as many other causes can lead to disability. The consequences in this case are very diverse, and often cause a partial or complete loss of motor activity.
[more]Literally, the term eye tracking (sometimes known by the name gaze tracking) means following an eye. It is a process during which specific devices determine the position of the patient's eyeballs. Depending on where the eye is directed, the system calculates the angle of view, and thus makes it possible to determine which of several objects a person looks at. Devices used for this purpose are called eye trackers.
[more]It is an undeniable fact: A full and healthy life is extremely important for everyone. But, unfortunately, no one is immune to diseases and conditions that can severely limit mobility. This can be caused by different joint injuries, post-stroke states, paralysis, and mental illnesses. The majority of people are exposed to such risks due to heredity, aging, habits, stress, poor diet, sleep and waking schedule, and many other reasons. Even for perfectly healthy people, there is a considerable risk of accidents or other emergencies that can cause an irreparable damage to health.
[more]For many years, the situation on the market of technologically sophisticated eye-tracking devices is not in favor of the final user. The cost of a nurse or a specialized assistant, which will help the paralyzed patient to communicate with the outside world, is high enough, but keeping him in a specialized clinic or purchase an eye-tracking system for home use will be many times more expensive. Everyone cannot afford this, and combined with a costly course of treatment and rehabilitation, it becomes even less affordable. As a result, patients are forced to suffer without communication, which introduces additional negative aspects to the disease due to frequent stress and forced isolation.
[more]Complete paralysis is understood to represent the “…loss of the ability to move one or more muscles…” according to the National Health Service (NHS) UK. There are several different classifications of paralysis ranging from a more mild paralysis which is specific to one area of the body (Localized), to an extreme full body paralysis which affects both arms and legs (Tetraplegia or quadriplegia). A person with any form of paralysis will tend to have some form of impairment in the nerves or nervous system. This article will focus mainly on complete body paralysis which can also be known as a locked in state or syndrome (LIS). Locked in Syndrome basically means that a patient may have been in a state of comatose who then wakes, but remains paralyzed although still awake and conscious without any means of generating speech or movement.
[more]Advantages of Our Solution
Eye-tracking software complexes are intended to allow quadriplegic persons, or people with reduced mobility, the possibility of letter-by-letter text typing. One of such complexes is the set of ECTCamera, ECTtracker and ECTkeyboard programs. This set is a ready-to-use product that allows users to enter text letter by letter using eye movement (e.g. blinking) or other possible movements using a laptop or PC with a connected video capturing device (e.g. camera) and special software (virtual keyboard).Usually, loss of mobility in patients is never planned and can happen suddenly. It can be caused by strokes, accidents, and injuries. The faster you start treatment and rehabilitation, the better the results that can be achieved for each affected person. It is equally important for patients to have the possibility to communicate with medical and support staff. Assistant Communication technologies are in high demand these days.
[more]Specialists of EyeComTec really appreciate the importance of the ability to communicate for daily life and faster rehabilitation progress. Therefore, we provide Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAG) software complex on a free basis for everyone who suffer from such physical needs, as well as for health professionals and rehabilitation centers offering their services on a pro bono (free of charge) basis.
[more]Alternative and Augmentative communication systems based on software solutions are significantly cheaper than their hardware analogues because they just need a PC or laptop for operation. Despite that the purchase of equipment still leads to certain financial costs, the total cost of such Assistive Technology systems is the lowest among all possible alternatives.
[more]The Augmentative and Alternative communication solutions by EyeComTec are simple and easy to use in comparison with similar software products by other companies. Programs of the complex can be executed from any external storage device without any need to copy files to a PC. Support of various user profiles makes it possible to load predefined settings for programs which can be useful for simultaneous operation of several users on one computer, as well as for user transfer to another working station.
[more]In case of continuous rehabilitation, or when it’s impossible to restore physical mobility, a patient becomes confined to a bed or a wheelchair, and an AAG complex (e.g. an eye-tracking system) becomes necessary in improving the conditions of the patient’s home. Patients may experience the following difficulties coupled with continuous rehabilitation at home.
[more]The key difference of EyeComTec’s Augmentative and Alternative Communication software from other analogues is the ability to use it completely contactless. There’s no need to use motion sensors or facial muscle sensors fixed on the electrodes on the user's head or face; there’s also no need to use head mounted IR-cameras or any other attached equipment in order to provide user interaction with the program complex.
[more]Producing software that is considered by many to be life changing and at the forefront of eye control communication technology we are often asked many questions by patients, researchers and caregivers. In an effort to answer all of these questions and provide the answers that our clients need, our team of software developers thoroughly prepare themselves for any questions posed.
[more]At the moment, the complex is based on 4 program products.
[more]All software by EyeComTec was developed from scratch, keeping in mind the needs of different user groups. Text entry with ECTtracker can be performed not only with the eyes opening or closing, but with any other visibly noticeable gesture. For example, in cases where the patient retains the mobility of the lips, they can run the program with movements of their mouth or other mimic actions. The software complex can be used by patients in different physical states.
[more]An Extended version of ECTtracker can be used in various fields and areas, from automatic control of household appliances ("smart home"), to tracking of the status of indicators and control of robotic devices in the industrial field. As an alternative approach to “computer vision”, ECTtracker can be used in various fields of automated production in order to monitor and analyze any visible activity in real time. For example, ECTtracker can measure the level of solutions in transparent containers, can control the state of analog indicators, sensors, and the position of robotic devices, and so on. The application can be used to control states in hazardous environments, for instance on electric stations, the aerospace industry, chemical production, and in automatic assembly lines.
[more]Eye-tracking software complexes are intended to allow quadriplegic persons, or people with reduced mobility, the possibility of letter-by-letter text typing. One of such complexes is the set of ECTCamera, ECTtracker and ECTkeyboard programs. This set is a ready-to-use product that allows users to enter text letter by letter using eye movement (e.g. blinking) or other possible movements using a laptop or PC with a connected video capturing device (e.g. camera) and special software (virtual keyboard).
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