Converging technologies focused on enhancing physical capabilities The potential of innovative interaction mechanisms to provide special users with powerful means to express ideas and develop their creativity for professional use or for leisure has been explored within the IPCA project. Digital Economy © PhotoDisc The convergence of Information Society Technologies (IST) is leading to new products and services that are increasingly transforming everyday activities and are raising people's expectations for a better quality of life. However, specific tools need to be developed in order to facilitate the access of special users to the full range of IST applications with equal opportunities. A promising possibility for allowing people with severe physical disabilities and speech impairments to access a wide range of computer information is offered by a new intelligent interaction mechanism. Developed under the IPCA project, the multi-channel monitoring system is based on a flexible combination of existing non-invasive sensors and encoders able to monitor different physiological parameters. The system adapts to minimal muscle and head motion signals received from an electromyogram (EMG) sensor and a dual-axis accelerometer to minimise the required actions from the user. A set of software tools that interface with standard operating system and web-based applications complements the system, providing emulation functions just like having keyboard and mouse directly connected to the computer. Since the use of technology such as on-screen keyboard with scanning and word prediction capabilities is physically strenuous and mentally demanding, a smart web browser was adapted to allow direct access to the requested information. It is a toolkit that records user navigation behaviour and enables the modification of different parts of web pages and internet services according to their personal preferences. Personal profiles are portable to other application programs and offer assistance in adjusting the emulation system to the users' individual physical capabilities. Furthermore, the emulation system can be controlled by biofeedback sensors which may be the only means of accessing a computer for people with severe physical challenges and speech impairments. In order to obtain an end product with a wide market audience, the consortium activities have been focused on gathering information on disabled people's experience with the interface system under development.
