The gest-rest: A pressure-sensitive chairable input pad for power wheelchair armrests

Patrick Carrington, Amy Hurst, Shaun K. Kane

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Interacting with touch screen-based computing devices can be difficult for individuals with mobility impairments that affect their hands, arms, neck, or head. These problems may be especially difficult for power wheelchair users, as the frame of their wheelchair may obstruct the users' range of motion and reduce their ability to reach objects in the environment. The concept of chairable input devices refers to input devices that are designed to fit with the form of an individual's wheelchair, much like wearable technology fits with an individual's clothing. In this paper, we introduce a new chairable input device, the Gest-Rest, which provides a pressure-sensitive input surface that fits over a standard power wheelchair armrest. The Gest-Rest enables users to perform traditional touch screen gestures, such as press and flick, as well as pressure-based gestures such as squeezing and punching. The Gest-Rest enables multiple inputs, unlike most switches, and does not substantially change the shape of the wheelchair armrest. We present a formative evaluation in which nine wheelchair users and three clinicians tested multiple gestures using the Gest-Rest prototype, and provided recommendations for integrating the Gest-Rest with computing applications. Our study showed that our motor impaired participants were each able to perform multiple gestures using the prototype, but had some difficulty with the pre-set sensitivity settings, and would thus benefit from a more robust gesture recognizer.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationASSETS14 - Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages201-208
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9781450327206
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 20 2014
Event16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS 2014 - Rochester, United States
Duration: Oct 20 2014Oct 22 2014

Publication series

NameASSETS14 - Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

Conference

Conference16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS 2014
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityRochester
Period10/20/1410/22/14

Keywords

  • Accessibility
  • Chairable
  • Gesture
  • Input
  • Mobile computing
  • Power wheelchair
  • Pressure input
  • Touch

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Software
  • Hardware and Architecture

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