Modelling Noise-Resilient Single-Switch Scanning Systems
This addresses communication challenges for nonspeaking individuals with motor disabilities, but appears incremental as it builds on existing scanning methods.
The paper tackled the problem of single-switch scanning systems failing to model noise sources in realistic use by individuals with motor disabilities, and developed a mathematical model with noise modelling and a fast-scan improvement, showing via simulation it can be more suitable for certain users.
Single-switch scanning systems allow nonspeaking individuals with motor disabilities to communicate by triggering a single switch (e.g., raising an eye brow). A problem with current single-switch scanning systems is that while they result in reasonable performance in noiseless conditions, for instance via simulation or tests with able-bodied users, they fail to accurately model the noise sources that are introduced when a non-speaking individual with motor disabilities is triggering the switch in a realistic use context. To help assist the development of more noise-resilient single-switch scanning systems we have developed a mathematical model of scanning systems which incorporates extensive noise modelling. Our model includes an improvement to the standard scanning method, which we call fast-scan, which we show via simulation can be more suitable for certain users of scanning systems.