char@b11.ingr.com (Orrin Char) (11/05/90)
Index Number: 11490 A couple of engineers and I are working in our spare time with an ALS patient who suffers from a degradation of her muscular control. We are attempting to develop a more effective means of communication. At this point, she is only capable of pushing a single button to communicate. Using an off-the-shelf program on a home computer, she patiently waits for letters of the alphabet to appear on the screen until she sees the letter that she would like to type. By pressing her button, she selects that letter, and restarts the letter selection process. It takes several minutes to type out a short sentence, and it is very frustrating to correct mistakes since that all-important button push is fairly strenuous for her. At this point, she is unable to use her tongue or eyes for sending information, but she can hear and see effectively. While her body is impaired, her mind is completely healthy. We have considered using some kind of brain wave biofeedback mechanism. Has anyone worked with or heard of a better means of communicating for someone with her condition? Is there software or hardware already available that we can build on? We are capable of designing some fairly sophisticated hardware and software. Are there any research concepts that someone might like to work with us to implement? As I had stated previously, we are working in our spare time (free labor!). Thanks in advance for any help, -- Orrin Char Senior System Engineer Intergraph Corp. email: ...uunet!ingr!b11!orrin!char phone: (205)730-6127 Standard Disclaimer: The opinions stated above are mine ...
cas@mtdcb.att.com (Cliff Stevens) (11/08/90)
Index Number: 11636 This reminds me of a talk I attended at the NJHIA's annual convention, It was on Locked In Syndrome. And what that is is some kind of stroke (Or other brain injury.) that leaves the person w *NO* voluntary movement, but a fully functional brain! (Scary as h*ll!) ------------ Militant Handicapped Survivor! Cliff Stevens MT1E228 att!cbnewsj!ncas (908)671-7292
cas@mtdcb.att.com (Cliff Stevens) (11/08/90)
Index Number: 11637 In article <15392@bunker.UUCP>, char@b11.ingr.com (Orrin Char) writes: > Index Number: 11490 > A couple of engineers and I are working in our spare time > with an ALS patient who suffers from a degradation of her > muscular control. We are attempting to develop a more > effective means of communication. Now, don't make fun of me, I'm pretty sure this has been ruled out, but only pretty sure! W training a human can control his brain waves to a (very) limited extent, so could we hook that *PERSON W ALS* (Is she really that patient?) to an EEG and w some pretty sophisticated DSP do some rudimentary control? At least as much as a thumbswitch? But I think it would prolly take a Cray-XMP to do the DSP, a couple Gigabyte Winnies to hold the SW, and a room full of EEG HW. But I could be wrong! Maybe it just needs a couple Op-Amps and an 8051. Now, don't get too excited, I've never done any DSP, and I know nothing about BioMedical Engineering (Obviously, right!), but maybe somebody should look? ------------ Militant Handicapped Survivor! Cliff Stevens MT1E228 att!cbnewsj!ncas (908)671-7292
rudy@mtqua.att.com (Avram R Vener) (11/09/90)
Index Number: 11650 In article <15392@bunker.UUCP>, char@b11.ingr.com (Orrin Char) writes: > Index Number: 11490 > > A couple of engineers and I are working in our spare time > with an ALS patient who suffers from a degradation of her > muscular control. We are attempting to develop a more > effective means of communication. > [remainder of quote deleted] Does this eliminate morse code? Is there any muscle she can contract in a controlled pattern? Eyelids? Jaw? Rudy Vener AT&T BTL uucp: att!mtqua!rudy
34AEJ7D@CMUVM.BITNET (Bill Gorman) (11/16/90)
Index Number: 11718 > >In article <15392@bunker.UUCP>, char@b11.ingr.com (Orrin Char) writes: >> Index Number: 11490 >> A couple of engineers and I are working in our spare time >> with an ALS patient who suffers from a degradation of her >> muscular control. We are attempting to develop a more > >Now, don't make fun of me, I'm pretty sure this has been ruled out, >but only pretty sure! W training a human can control his brain >waves to a (very) limited extent, so could we hook that *PERSON W ALS* >(Is she really that patient?) to an EEG and w some pretty sophisticated >DSP do some rudimentary control? At least as much as a thumbswitch? I think something like this is possible, for several reasons. 1. I have worked with biofeedback and alpha-wave monitors fairly extensively. The circuitry for detecting the alpha brain waves is fairly simple, not too expensive and provides a sharp detection cutoff point between a subject who is producing alpha waves and one who is not. One disadvantage: it requires a training period, and practice, to be able to control alpha wave generation in one's mind. 2. I have seen references to military experiments aimed at achieving this same goal in a light, portable helmet. The purpose: enhanced control of on-board systems/weapons in fighter aircraft. 3. Any of you who may be familiar with the term "cyberspace" will probably recognize this as precisely the sort of application envisaged there - and which is already in operation in some very limited ways/environments.