Physical disabilities : augmentative and alternative communication devices for persons with physical disabilities

2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 16091213
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Science and Engineering
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan University
• Principal Investigator: HIGUCHI Norio Ritsumeikan University, College of Information Science, Professor (50351325)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NOSHIRO Makoto Kitasato University, School of Allied Health Sciences, Professor (80014231)
• Project Period (FY): 2004 – 2006
• Keywords: Persons with Physical Disabilities / Assistive Technology / Fitting / Biological Signal / 当事者意見 / 可動域 / 巧緻性 / 生体信号

Research Abstract

The research group on "Physical disabilities: augmentative and alternative communication devices for persons with physical disabilities" consists of two research groups. One is that on "Physical characteristics of persons with physical disabilities regarding the use of augmentative and alternative communication devices" and the other is that on "Development of a wireless character-input interface controlled by Laplacian electromyographic activity". The members of those groups are 10 and 2, respectively.
These two groups are collaborating with each other in helping the persons with physical disabilities to participate research projects; they have had three joint meeting of these two groups and free discussion meeting for engineers, technologists, therapists, suppliers and manufacturers in assistive technology for the persons with severe physical disabilities in this fiscal year.
The free discussion meeting was held for two days to report the research results of this research group and to promote actual use of the research results for the persons with physical disabilities. Two evaluators of Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas and eighteen other members including engineers, technologists, therapists, suppliers and manufacturers in assistive technology participated in this free discussion meeting. On the first day, the research results of this research group were presented with demonstrations of actual devices developed in this research group, and on the second day the discussion to utilize research results of this research group after the presentation of comments by evaluators and other members.