Memarian N, Venetsanopoulos AN, Chau T. Client-centred development of an infrared thermal access switch for a young adult with severe spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.
Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2010;
6:179-87. [PMID:
20569118 DOI:
10.3109/17483107.2010.498075]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE
This study reports a client-centred development of a non-contact access switch based on an infrared thermal imaging of mouth opening-closing activity of an individual with severe spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.
METHOD
Over a 6-month period, the client participated in five test sessions to inform the development of an infrared thermal switch. The client completed eight stimulus-response trials (switch test) and eight word-matching trials (scan test) using the infrared thermal switch and provided subjective feedback throughout.
RESULTS
For the switch test, the client achieved an average correct activation rate of 90% and average response time of 2.4 s. His mean correct activation rate on the scan test improved from 65 to 80% over the course of system development, with an average response time of 11.7 s.
CONCLUSIONS
An infrared thermography switch tuned to a client's extant orofacial gestures is a practical non-invasive access solution and warrants further research in clients with severe physical disability.
Collapse