For people who are paralyzed and don't have the use of their arms, using =
a
computer with a keyboard and mouse can be an impossible task. A special
headset can make it possible.=20
Ron Heagy is always on the move despite a spinal injury that paralyzed hi=
m
from the neck down. He shifts freely between his love of the outdoors and
his work as a writer, painter and speaker. He struggles to type with a
mouthstick and keyboard. That's about to change.=20
A new headset carries two infrared cameras that let Ron's eyes do the wor=
k
his hands cannot. One camera reads eye movement, the other head movement.
When this information comes together, it has astonishing results. Ron can
move a cursor with his eyes and click on information just as if he was
using a computer mouse.=20
"If I want to click on search, I close my eyes and it clicks once," says
Ron. "I open, now it's in search. I move the mouse around with my eyes or
head."=20
Jim Richardson of Eye Control Technology in Portland, Ore., helped invent
the camera after an accident paralyzed his cousin. "I looked at my cousin
and said, 'Well, what can he use?' And the thing that he could use was hi=
s
eyes," says Jim.=20
Inventors at Eye Control Technology hope to open new worlds to those who
can't type or talk. Jim's cousin recently tried the computer for the firs=
t
time. "He kept picking 'Hello! Hello! Hello!' He just kept saying it agai=
n
and again. It was really great. It was very exciting for all of us," says
Jim.=20
Computer solitaire helps Ron's skills. He hopes this system can help othe=
r
disabled people get jobs. "We work in the age of computers, and now they
can go to work and be just as efficient as the 'able-bodied' person," say=
s
Ron.=20
The infrared camera headsets are less expensive than other infrared camer=
a
systems on the market. They sell for $2,500 and can be used with any PC.=20
If you would like more information, please contact:=20
Eye Control Technologies
P.O. Box 2317
230 SW Third St.
Suite 210
Corvallis, OR 97339
(888) 865-5535=20