Human-computer interface based on IoT embedded systems for users with disabilities

Abstract

This paper investigates how low-cost embedded systems can be tailored to support the interaction between users with disabilities and computers. The main idea is to implement several software solutions for assistive technology to deploy on the user embedded device. When such a device is connected to a whichever computing system (e.g. through an USB connection), it acts as HID (Human Interface Device) peripheral (e.g., mouse and keyboard), so that the user can work on the computer without any previous configuration setup to adapt the behavior of the computing system to the user disability. The proposed solution exploits Cloud-based services to adapt the device firmware to the user’s needs and preferences. To test the whole system, we discuss the design of an alternative input device based on MEMS accelerometers and the Atmega32u4 microcontroller and it is currently intended for individuals with motor disabilities.