AsTeRICS - A RAPID PROTOTYPING PLATFORM FOR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Authors:
Christoph Weiß & Christoph Veigl
Institute of Embedded Systems, University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Vienna, Austria
Abstract:
A vast number of people with disabilities in Europe and worldwide are supported by Assistive Technologies (AT). Often AT solutions do not fit the specific requirements of a user out of the box making costly adaptations necessary. AsTeRICS aims to change this situation by employing rapid prototyping tech- nologies 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 modeling software application which allows to connect all build- ing blocks as needed tailoring the prototype to the user's abilities. Building blocks include sensors (such as switch inputs but also vision systems and brain computer interfaces), data processing elements (mathematical and flow control) and actuators (such as mouse/keyboard replacement, building automation and mobile phone access).