Adaptive & Individualized AAC

自适应

基本信息

批准号：
10482070
负责人：
Jennifer Michele Vojtech
金额：
$ 57.57万
依托单位：
ALTEC, INC.
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2019
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2019-09-01 至 2025-03-31
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10482070
关键词：
Address Algorithms American Augmentative and Alternative Communication Boston Brain Stem Infarctions Calibration Caregiver support Caregivers Cerebral Palsy Clinical Communication Communication Methods Communication impairment Computer software Computers Custom Drops Evaluation Family Forehead Frustration Genetic Transcription Gestures Goals Guillain Barré Syndrome Hand Head Hospitals Individual Institutes Intuition Learning Letters Life Maintenance Manuals Methods Mission Modification Motor Motor Activity Movement National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Nerve Degeneration Neuromuscular Diseases Participant Performance Persons Phase Population Quality of life Rehabilitation therapy Research Personnel Residual state Scanning Socialization Speech Spinal cord injury Stroke Surface Surveys System Tablet Computer Target Populations Technology Testing Traumatic Brain Injury Universities Work Workload alternative communication automated algorithm base communication device data exchange deafness design dexterity disability experience foot handheld mobile device improved motor impairment novel point of care preference rehabilitation engineering rehabilitation science sensor usability user friendly software visual tracking wireless wireless communication

项目摘要

Nearly 5 million Americans require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods to meet their daily communication needs. Some of these high-need individuals have motor impairments so severe (due to conditions such as brainstem stroke, traumatic brain injury, Guillain Barré syndrome, and cerebral palsy, among other disabilities) that they do not have the manual dexterity to control AAC technology and require alternative access methods (such as eye-tracking, head-tracking, or switch-scanning). Existing solutions, however, require extensive maintenance, frequent re-calibrations, and manual interface modifications that must be carried out with continued assistance from a caregiver or by compensating via their own residual motor activity. The excessive workload of adapting to these alternative communication methods are among the leading causes of AAC abandonment, ultimately depriving this population of their fundamental right to communication. To meet the critical communication needs of individuals with severe motor impairments, we propose the first AAC device comprising a versatile access method that automatically learns and customizes a keyboard interface to the residual motor function of the individual. In Phase I, we established the feasibility of developing a personalized keyboard interface (limited to A–Z, space) based on an individual’s cursor movement and target selection abilities using a combined surface electromyographic (sEMG) and inertial (IMU) access method placed on their forehead. When evaluated amongst individuals with and without severe motor impairments, our AAC solution achieved greater information transfer rates (ITRs) over the standard QWERTY keyboard. Having successfully demonstrated this proof-of-concept, we are collaborating with speech researchers and clinicians at Boston University, MA (STEPP Lab for Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Engineering) and Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, NE (Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering) to advance our Phase I system into a pre- commercial MyAACTM system comprising versatile access method and personalized, comprehensive communication software. We will achieve this by developing hardware to support streamlined access across multiple points on the body (Aim 1), designing automated algorithms to rapidly create an expanded AAC interface, inclusive of letters, numbers, symbols, emojis, and word completion options, that is personalized based on the residual motor function of user-specific access points (Aim 2), creating software for point-of-care use of the access technology and interface, and evaluating the resulting MyAACTM system for communication efficacy in individuals with severe motor impairments (Aim 3). Our milestone will be to demonstrate that MyAACTM improves ITR and user experience over conventional AAC devices. The final MyAACTM deliverable will be easily integrated with existing AAC tablets and mobile devices to provide those in need of alternative communication methods with an automatically customized, efficient, and intuitive solution to restore communication access in their daily lives.

近 500 万美国人需要增强和替代通信 (AAC) 方法来满足他们的需求这些高需求人群中的一些人有严重的运动障碍（由于脑干中风、创伤性脑损伤、格林巴利综合征和脑瘫等疾病其他残疾）他们没有灵活的手动控制 AAC 技术并需要替代方案然而，访问方法（例如眼动追踪、头部追踪或开关扫描）需要现有的解决方案。必须进行大量维护、频繁重新校准和手动界面修改在护理人员的持续帮助下或通过自己的残余运动活动进行补偿。适应这些替代通信方法的工作量过大是造成这种情况的主要原因之一 AAC 的放弃，最终剥夺了这一群体的基本交流权利。为了满足患有严重运动障碍的个人的关键沟通需求，我们提出了第一个 AAC 设备包括自动学习和定制键盘接口的多功能访问方法在第一阶段，我们确定了开发一个人的残余运动功能。基于个人光标移动和目标的个性化键盘界面（仅限于 A-Z、空格）使用表面肌电图 (SEMG) 和惯性 (IMU) 相结合的访问方法进行选择的能力当对有或没有严重运动障碍的个体进行评估时，我们的 AAC 解决方案比标准 QWERTY 键盘实现了更高的信息传输速率 (ITR)。成功演示了这一概念验证，我们正在与语音研究人员和先驱合作马萨诸塞州波士顿大学（STEPP 感觉运动康复工程实验室）和麦当娜康复中心内布拉斯加州医院（康复科学与工程研究所）将我们的第一阶段系统推进到预商业MyAACTM系统包括多功能的访问方法和个性化、全面的我们将通过开发支持简化访问的硬件来实现这一目标。身体上的多个点（目标 1），设计自动化算法以快速创建扩展的 AAC 界面，包括字母、数字、符号、表情符号和单词完成选项，基于个性化关于用户特定接入点的残余运动功能（目标 2），创建用于护理点使用的软件访问技术和接口，并评估由此产生的 MyAACTM 系统的通信效率在患有严重运动障碍的个体中（目标 3）。与传统 AAC 设备相比，改进了 ITR 和用户体验最终的 MyAACTM 交付成果将很容易实现。与现有的 AAC 平板电脑和移动设备集成，为需要替代通信的用户提供服务具有自动定制、高效、直观的解决方案的方法来恢复通信访问他们的日常生活。