A computer that thinks for the differently abled

Meenakshi Rohatgi
 
A computer that can read your thoughts usually belongs in a sci-fi thriller but this hi-tech device is enhancing the quality of life for individuals afflicted with paralysis and cerebral palsy. Thanks to this brain-computer interface (BCI), IIM-A graduate Suresh Karat, who is paralysed neck-down, has resumed writing his blog – all on his own! Karat moves the cursor by moving his head, and when the cursor hovers over the desired key on a keyboard on his screen, he blinks to click.
“Technology can do so much and more,” says Prabhat Ranjan, professor of Embedded Systems and Networks at the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology (DAIICT) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Prof Ranjan has also developed a wrist-remote, which can be used to control fan and light switches and mobile apps, which can be liberating for individuals who have some muscle and speech control even through fairly uncoordinated.
With 2.5 people per 1,000 live births in India affected by motor dysfunctional conditions, apart from those who lose the sense of movement after accidents, Prof Ranjan’s “environmental control systems” can be life-changing.

The Wrist Remote “In 2009, some of my students wanted to use technology to make the lives of children with disabilities easier. Devices which allowed such children to switch the TV on and off had already been invented but they could not do any more, like change channels or alter volume,” says Prof Ranjan, who has extensively researched sensor networks and its application, robotics and embedded systems. Thus, he devised a remote device called RF-CePal, which was lightweight and had to be worn on the wrist. Working via infrared signals, the device detects hand movements in the up, down, left and right directions, and senses wither the individual wishes to perform a function. A double tap makes the remote point to a different appliance. The remote can be configured to control four different appliances and costs Rs 3,500. How Thought-Control Works An even bigger breakthrough was the brain-computer interface, which uses a headset that interfaces with a computer. This ‘neuro-headset’ collects brainwaves from 14 locations on the skull and also tracks head movements via a gyro-sensor embedded in it. As unbelievable as it sounds, this device can be trained to recognise facial expressions, emotions and certain conscious thoughts, according to Prof Ranjan. “I began to develop the brain-computer interface in 2010, when a gentleman with muscular dystrophy travelled a great distance to ask me to help him. After some research, I stumbled on a headset which was being used for gaming in Canada. I modified it to connect both the BCI and RF-CePal remote to each other so that people with extreme disabilities could use the computer and also control the environment via the computer. Depending on the user’s requirements, this system can be modified to respond to minimal head movements, facial expressions or can work entirely via thought control,” he says. Innovator With A Heart To make these devices affordable, Prof Ranjan uses locally available electronic components. “All other devices available in the West are either computer-based or too expensive for many people,” he adds. Prof Ranjan’s work was recognised in 2009 by various awards. He also received funding of Rs 13 lakh from the National Trust of India, under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. He has since provided 50 devices to the trust and has helped 20 people with customised devices on his own, mostly free of cost. “We have helped some people in India but we can help lakhs of people if there is awareness about such solutions,” he remarks. Revenue Model Prof Ranjan aims to put his products on the commercial market but the question is their cost remains a stumbling block. Each brain-computer system costs as much as Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000. To reach a large number of users, Prof Ranjan set up a company called Sun Teknovation with two partners in mid-2012. The company, which is self-funded with an initial investment of Rs 11 lakh, found that the main hurdle to refining its products was the lack of feedback from users who had received them free of cost. Hence the team started charging new users and began to receive some feedback on how useful the system was and how it could be improved. What Next? Prof Ranjan’s team is now working on a voice-based system, where a voice-recognition chip will identify 40 different sounds which direct different commands. He also plans to develop a ‘sip-and-puff’ device, where, say, an individual with cerebral palsy can control his or her chair by simply blowing into a pipe. “The most useful technology advancement is the cheap smart phone and SDK of the Android.”
Since touch-based systems have become cheaper, Prof Ranjan’s team has incorporated them into their own systems. Thus, individuals with even minimal finger movements or rough muscle coordination can move their hands over a touch-screen and select icons to perform functions like controlling the television, asking for food etc. The tem is also developing mobile apps. There’s one which uses three languages in both male and female voices and can accommodate 8 to 32 icons, depending on the functions required.
 
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