DIGITAL INFRA-RED EYE COMMAND TRANSDUCER

ALTHOUGH TECHNOLOGY IS ADVANCING AT AN EVER INCREASING PACE,ITS APPLICATION FOR USE BY HANDICAPPED INDIVIDUALS HAS BEEN SLOW. SEVERELY IMPAIRED INDIVIDUALS OFTEN REQUIRE SOME TYPE OF "HIGH TECHNOLOGY" MEANS TO ENABLE THEM TO HAVE A DEGREE OF MOBILITY. THE SPECIFIC AIM OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO INVESTIGATE THE POTENTIAL OF USING ELECTRO-OPTICS AS A MEANS FOR THE HANDICAPPED TO EFFECT CONTROL OF HIS/HER ENVIRONMENT - SPECIFICALLY A MOTORIZED WHEELCHAIR. TO PROVE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS AND APPLICATIONS OF THIS TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY, A BLINK SENSOR WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED BY ENERGY OPTICS FOR THE US AIR FORCE WILL BE ADAPTED FOR USE BY A HANDICAPPED INDIVIDUAL. ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED AS A DEVICE TO PREVENT CRASHES WHEN THE PILOT BLACKS OUT AFTER A HIGH "G" MANEUVER, THIS DEVICE IS CAPABLE OF IDENTIFYING AND CHARACTERIZING THE EYE-BLINK. AS A MAJOR THRUST OF THIS EFFORT, A BLINK DETECTOR WILL BE CONSTRUCTED WHICH WILL BE CAPABLE OF BEING USED AS A MOTORIZED WHEELCHAIR CONTROLLER BY THE HANDICAPPED. THE RESULTANT DEVICE WILL BE NAMED DIGITAL INFRA-RED EYE COMMANDTRANSDUCER OR DIRECT. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THIS DEVICE WILL PROVE TO BE A VIABLE CONTROL DEVICE TOOL FOR THE HANDICAPPED INDIVIDUAL.