AsTeRICS, a flexible AT construction set

Abstract

A vast number of people with disabilities are supported by assistive technologies (AT). Often, AT solutions do not directly fit the specific requirements of a user, making costly adaptations necessary. Assistive Technology Rapid Integration & Construction Set (AsTeRICS) aims to change this situation by employing rapid prototyping technologies in AT. A construction set of building blocks to create flexible prototypes for each individual user is provided. This set is configured by a visual modelling software application which allows to connect all building blocks as needed, tailoring the prototype to the user's abilities and needs. Building blocks include sensors (which in this context includes not only stand-alone sensors such as simple switch inputs but also vision systems, brain computer interfaces, and many more), data processing elements (mathematical and flow control), and actuators (such as mouse/keyboard replacement, smart environments, and mobile phone access). As central part of AsTeRICS, a runtime environment has been developed, handling all signal processing and data exchange operations needed for the interaction of the building blocks. R. OSSMANN ET AL.finalizing the project, there were already more functionalities implemented than originally planned. Since then, development has continued in the scope of follow-up projects, diploma thesis and traineeships, and also by the help of volunteer programmers during their free time. The current release is version 2.2, featuring more than 120 plug-ins. Since December 2013, there is an open source repository on Github, which is already being used by several organizations and persons. Target groupIn Europe, there is a strong need for AT supporting people with reduced motor capabilities [2]. A Eurostat statistics [3] from 2005 suggests that between 1.7% (Hungary) and 17.5% (Norway) of people with long-term disabilities have problems with their arms or hands. In absolute figures, that means more than 2.6 million people in Europe have impairments affecting their upper limbs and therefore many of them depend on assistive technologies (AT). As the requirements of the individual user are very specific, adaptive, Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based solutions are needed to let this population group participate in modern society.Over the last decades, a considerable number of information and communication technologybased AT devices have become available for people with disabilities. These AT devices often ask for adaptation of software and/or hardware to fit the user's abilities before they can be used. All too often, assistive tools that have been optimized for particular applications cannot be used in other situations out-of-the-box. Additionally, some people cannot be supplied with AT devices at all due to the limits of adaptability or unaffordable costs of the necessary adaptations.Accessible technologies are a key factor to support people with disabilities in their daily life and to let them participate in a modern and open society. The design-for-al...

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