BT Labs tapping motion-sensing PCs to help the handicapped

Researchers are currently developing a program called the BT Balance system which is capable of sensing static gravity in order to sense motion. The developers hope that the technology will be used to innovate how we use computers but more so as a means by which people with handicaps can take advantage of computing.

Researchers at the BT Labs in Ipswich say that the machine uses an accelerometer mounted on a chip. The setup is called Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMs). What the accelerometer does is basically detect changes in acceleration and send the interpreted information to the chip. Corresponding responses in the interface can be assigned, thus allowing people to use movements as a way to input instructions.

Users can literally tilt, rotate, and lean the frames of tablet computers to influence the system. This is especially useful for people who cannot handle a keyboard and a mouse the same way other people do.

The idea, says David Chatting of the BT Research Labs, is to take away the complexity of PCs and make them more favorable to non-users and old people.  “PCs are still very complicated. We are interested in the older user who is slightly fearful of this technology. The PC, monitor and mouse puts them off,” he adds.

BT says that the research will not cover merely computers. In the future, it says that it will bring the same concept to mobile devices such as cellular phones to allow virtually anyone to plunge in and male use of the latest tools to make life a little bit more fun.

Via BBC

Researchers are currently developing a program called the BT Balance system which is capable of sensing static gravity in order to sense motion. The developers hope that the technology will be used to innovate how we use computers but more so as a means by which people with handicaps can take advantage of computing.

Researchers at the BT Labs in Ipswich say that the machine uses an accelerometer mounted on a chip. The setup is called Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMs). What the accelerometer does is basically detect changes in acceleration and send the interpreted information to the chip. Corresponding responses in the interface can be assigned, thus allowing people to use movements as a way to input instructions.

Users can literally tilt, rotate, and lean the frames of tablet computers to influence the system. This is especially useful for people who cannot handle a keyboard and a mouse the same way other people do.

The idea, says David Chatting of the BT Research Labs, is to take away the complexity of PCs and make them more favorable to non-users and old people.  “PCs are still very complicated. We are interested in the older user who is slightly fearful of this technology. The PC, monitor and mouse puts them off,” he adds.

BT says that the research will not cover merely computers. In the future, it says that it will bring the same concept to mobile devices such as cellular phones to allow virtually anyone to plunge in and male use of the latest tools to make life a little bit more fun.

Via BBC