Hands-free interaction with a computer and other technologies

Hands-free interaction with technology is a dream for any person with limitations in the use of his/her arms and hands. This paper describes two new original low-cost hands-free computer peripheries—I4Control® and Magic Key, which use movements of the user’s eye or nose as an actuator of a computer cursor. Both systems emulate the PC mouse and thereby mediate direct access to any mouse-controlled computer application. Functionality of the presented systems is compared to that of PC mouse using one of the usability tests recommended by the ISO 9241 methodology. The data obtained as a result of testing a group of ten unimpaired novice users indicated that the users’ performance improves over time of usage of the system, but the process is rather slow. The paper describes several easy to use toy-applications intended to improve the user’s confidence in working with the considered devices. One of these applications demonstrates that I4Control® can be employed to control home appliances or a wheelchair.