ALS Assistive Technology Blog by Alisa Brownlee, ATP, CAPS: 12/30/12

Glove Keyboard Enables Use of Devices with One Hand

From: Embedded Technology Insider - 11/26/2012

Computer engineering students at The University of Alabama in Huntsville have designed a tool that could revolutionize new ways of using electronic devices with just one hand. It's called a Gauntlet Keyboard, a glove device that functions as a wireless keyboard. Instead of tapping keys on a keyboard, the user simply touches their thumb to points on their fingers assigned a letter or other keyboard function. Conductive thread carries the commands to a matchbox-sized Printed Circuit Board (PCB) affixed to the back of the glove.

The PCB transmits it via Bluetooth, whether it's a computer, a mobile phone, music synthesizer, video game, or military device. Think of the Gauntlet as a touch screen that works by tapping your fingers to your thumb on a gloved hand.

Read the entire article at:

http://www.embeddedtechmag.com/component/content/article/15232

Links:

UAHuntsville students hope glove keyboard will revolutionize use of devices with one hand http://www.uah.edu/news/research/4646-uahuntsville-students-hope-glove-keyboard-will-revolutionize-use-of-devices-with-one-hand

Gauntlet Keyboard

http://gauntletkeyboard.com/

Gauntlet Keyboard video (0:33)

http://vimeo.com/45525092

Tobii REX brings Gaze eye-tracking tech to any Windows 8 machine

By Brad Molen posted Jan 2nd, 2013 at 12:01 AM24

Tobii REX brings eyetracking tech to any Windows 8 machine

Tobii may not be a household brand name yet, but that doesn't make the company's eye-tracking technology any less impressive. At last year's CES we got an opportunity to preview Gaze UI, an interface that allowed us to navigate, zoom, select and scroll on a proprietary Windows 8-enabled laptop with just our pupils and a touchpad; this year, Tobii is introducing the REX, a USB-connected peripheral that adds these features to any Windows 8 PC. The device, slightly larger than a pen, adheres to the base of any PC monitor and can be integrated with other existing controls such as the keyboard, mouse or touchpad. Though this may sound quite similar to the PCEye launched in 2011, it's different in that the REX isn't intended for use as an assistive technology, so you'll still need to keep that mouse and trackpad around. Consumer pricing and availability haven't been announced, but Tobii plans to offer 5,000 units to consumers before the end of 2013; for developers, however, a special edition (seen above) should be available starting today for $995.