Evaluation of Mouse Emulation Using the Wheelchair Joystick
By LoPresti, Edmund F.; Romich, Barry A.; Hill, Katya J.; Spaeth, Donald M.; RESNA 27th International Annual Conference 2004: Technology & Disability: Research, Design, Practice, & Policy,Publication Date: 2004
Study conducted to evaluate the Joystick to Mouse Adapter (JMA), which was designed to allow people who use powered wheelchairs to have proportional control of a computer or an augmentative and alternative communication system. The JMA provides three modes of control: (1) position mode, in which the joystick position determines the placement of the cursor on the screen, (2) velocity mode, in which the joystick position determines the speed and direction of cursor movement, and (3) hybrid mode, in which position control is active in a region at the center of the joystick range. Fifteen people who operated powered wheelchairs with a hand-operated joystick participated in the study. Eight participants had cerebral palsy, three had spinal cord injuries, one had multiple sclerosis, one had muscular dystrophy, and two did not report their diagnoses. The participants were asked to perform two tasks using each of the three modes of control: (1) an icon selection task, and (2) the transcription of text using WiViK Version 2.5 onscreen keyboard software from Prentke Romich and Typing Instructor Version 11 from Individual Software. Quantitative results are displayed in table format. For the icon selection task, the data indicated a trade-off between speed and accuracy, in which the position and hybrid modes offered increased speed of performance at the cost of accuracy. The velocity mode offered the best performance in general, as it had the highest accuracy and speed when compared to the switched joystick in both tasks. The authors contend that since people with limited movement are among the main candidates for integrated control systems, software that removes the need for a mouse button may be the most effective solution for cursor control.
Published by: Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) (Website:http://www.resna.org)
