Computer-Access Alternative
By Voss, Laura; PN: Paraplegia News, Vol. 63, No. 10, pp. 17-18Publication Date: October 2009
Review of a computer access interface for people with quadriplegia. AccuPoint, a head tracker made by the not-for-profit company Invotek, uses a cluster of reflective dots placed on the user’s forehead to position the cursor on the computer screen. From there, two cameras on the device track the movement of the dot cluster and map that motion onto the cursor, allowing the user to move it completely across the screen with motions as small as one eighth of an inch. Unlike most trackers, AccuPoint employs technology known as absolute tracking to keep the cursor aligned with the user’s head. The device is packaged with an onscreen program, AccuKeys, which allows users to type using only the cursor, and AccuPoint TW, which has an alphanumeric and numeric keyboard as well as a customizable phrase keyboard that will speak a preprogrammed word or phrase when clicked. Although the circumstances under which AccuPoint can be funded by insurance are limited, Medicare will fund the device if its AccuPoint TW text-to-speech function is used to communicate.
Assistive Products Discussed: ACCUPOINT
Published by: PVA Publications (Website:http://www.pvamagazines.com)
Paralyzed Veterans of America (Web Site: http://www.pva.org )
