| One goal of assistive technology research is to provide alternate methods of accessing devices. In severe cases of spinal cord injury or other neuromuscular diseases, a person's ability to use their hands and arms may be entirely impaired. Computer access options for these people are limited and often very cumbersome. Any improvements to computer access may promote independence and lead to improvements in quality of life. The main goal of this thesis was to evaluate the effectiveness of using tooth-clicks to emulate computer mouse button functionality. Intentional tooth-clicks can be detected with an accelerometer by recording jaw vibrations near the ear. A tooth-click detector was paired with a head-tracking camera for cursor control, and compared with existing alternative mouse devices. Results showed that the tooth-click system was 18-24% slower than a sip-and-puff controller (the fastest alternative tested), but it was more reliable, comfortable, and hygienic. |
