Emo-Active
(version francaise disponible via l'onglet Mises a Jours)
Emo-Active helps you control domotic devices by thoughts only.
It aims to develop an accessibility system to be used on smartphones (iPhone, Android).
Its intended goal is to provide people with physical limitations better computer control, as well as enhanced socialization capabilities.
The proposed system is based upon EEG acquisition, using commercially available components.
The Problem
People with heavy physical disabilities face severe problems due to the lack of possibilities for socialization. As our world evolves, new technologies become increasingly part of the basic ways that social and professional living is accomplished. The evolution of those technologies makes the world more complicated in terms of accessibility. The lack of accessibility segregates disabled people from the community.
People with locked-in syndrome and people with severe motor disablement constitute a small part of the public concern for accessibility. The reduction of certain physical capabilities, such as color-blindness, deafness, blindness have been addressed by the traditional use of the technological environment, and have been well covered by accessibility solutions like Lynx, Jaws, and of course well designed HTML and CSS coding.
The current accessibility solutions available to people with severe physical disabilities share common characteristics: they are expensive, use some kind of code (such as Morse code), and have to be custom fitted in most cases. Another challenge the target group faces is the lack of socialization. When an individual has limited abilities to communicate thoughts and emotions, the absence of positive socialization may be detrimental to those suffering the disability.
The Solution
The purpose of the project is to increase the socialization of people having difficulties using their hands, or unable to use other body language to convey emotions. More specifically the project is designed to better assist those with quadriplegia, cerebral palsy, locked-in syndrome, and similar disabilities.
Such an enhanced socialization may be achieved by two means:
First, by giving system users explicit access to the technological services common to the non-disabled, especially environment control such as lighting and climatisation, television and on-demand media.
Second, by improving the communication between the user and their dearest, with real-time representation of a user’s emotions.
The Emo-Activ system is designed to use standard computer resources offering virtual independence from disabilities affecting individual users.
Other Ways You Can Help
Some people just can’t contribute, but that doesn’t mean they can’t help:
- We ask folks to get the word out and make some noise about our campaign.
- Words have the power to change the world, remember that you can share our request by publishing our link on your personal page and your social network.
Where does the money go
- Indigogo Fees
- $5,000 Certificates Fees
- $7,000 T-Shirt Fees
- $15,000 App Development Fees
- $15,000 Domotic Communication Devices Fees
- $50,000 Acquisition Helmet Fees
- $8,000 Promotions and Competition Prizes
PS: if we don't get to our goal, we will use the money to pay the supplies needed for the perks bought and use the remaining amount to pay our developer (+ competition prize).
If the simple mechanism of point and click can be implemented with ease of use for the user, almost anything can be accomplished. With the addition of a virtual computer keyboard, the accomplishments of the able-bodied may become attainable for those with disabilities with only minimal differences in performance. Dreaming further, via domotic improvements, a disabled person may become virtually enabled.
Interestingly, the specification following ISO 9241 inspired considerations of exploratory use of the system in multiplayer video games. Since two helmets may be used on a single computer, the possibility exists that two users, whether disabled or not, may together cooperatively play Pong (a two-dimensional tennis sports game). Incidentally, the scenarios definitions showed how the system could be integrated in the medical environment by collecting medical information about the user during operation hours.
