According to the World Health Organization, between 110 million and 190 million people live with physical disabilities. Existing eye-tracking systems designed to support people with disabilities often have limited self-reliance features, slow response times, and high costs. This project addresses the challenge of limited community engagement among people with physical disabilities by enabling them to use computers without a mouse or keyboard. Instead, they wear a specially designed mask equipped with a novel algorithm. The mask contains three distinct colors on its surface, which allow users to control the computer cursor by moving these colors with their tongue. Movements were captured via camera and interpreted by our software. The project was tested in two phases: algorithmic performance and real-world viability. For the algorithmic phase, 1,500 open-source videos containing color movements were analyzed. The system achieved a 97.3% accuracy rate in detecting the required colors. Cursor movement was enabled by head motion, while specific actions such as right click, left click, and drag-and-drop were controlled through tongue movements, determined by changes in the distance between colors. For real-world validation, an online SDQ survey was conducted with 112 participants with disabilities, ranging in age from 11 to 55. After six months of using the mask and software, results showed that 98.7% of participants scored within the normal difficulty range (0–13). These findings suggest that technology can enhance independence by enabling people with physical disabilities to work, learn, and participate more fully in community life.
Gasser M. Galal (Sun,) studied this question.