Computer vision based unistroke keyboard system and mouse for the handicapped

In this paper, a unistroke keyboard based on computer vision is described for the handicapped. The keyboard can be made of paper or fabric containing an image of a keyboard, which has an upside down U-shape. It can even be displayed on a computer screen. Each character is represented by a non-overlapping rectangular region on the keyboard image and the user enters a character by illuminating a character region with a laser pointer. The keyboard image is monitored by a camera and illuminated key locations are recognized. During the text entry process the user neither have to turn the laser light off nor raise the laser light from the keyboard. A disabled person who has difficulty using his/her hands may attach the laser pointer to an eyeglass and easily enter text by moving his/her head to point the laser beam on a character location. In addition, a mouse-like device can be developed based on the same principle. The user can move the cursor by moving the laser light on the computer screen which is monitored by a camera. © 2003 IEEE.