POWERED Wheelchair Driving Using Eye-Tracking through Video-Oculography: a Usability Study

Driving a power wheelchair (PW) can be challenging for individuals with severe motor disabilities who are unable to use a joystick for control. An alternative approach involves utilizing eye movement commands through electroculography techniques, which rely on image processing. However, this signal can be susceptible to noise interference. To address this issue, video-oculography (VOG) techniques offer a promising solution. In this study, we propose the development of a VOG-based system that utilizes the webcam of a laptop to facilitate PW driving. Our hypothesis is that such a VOG system can effectively and conveniently enable PW users to drive without the need for an additional eye-tracking device.

The system was specifically designed to enable users to interact with a laptop through webcam-based eye movement. To minimize costs, the entire system was developed using freeware tools. The software displays arrows on the laptop screen, indicating the direction the user should focus on in order to control the power wheelchair (PW). In order to assess the system's performance and usability, tests were conducted involving 10 participants, including both healthy individuals and those with disabilities. The system recorded the total number of commands issued and the corresponding PW movement directions for subsequent analysis. Statistical analysis and usability questionnaires were utilized to quantify and evaluate the level of difficulty associated with using our system.

All participants exhibited proficiency in operating the power wheelchair (PW) without encountering any challenges. Furthermore, as per the participants' feedback, the implemented system holds promising potential to bestow PW users with enhanced autonomy, enabling them to independently navigate and thereby minimizing their reliance on external assistance to carry out daily activities.

The findings indicate that the proposed system holds utility for individuals with severe motor disabilities, offering potential benefits in their daily activities. However, in order to obtain a more precise statistical analysis of the power wheelchair (PW) user's performance, it is necessary to conduct testing with a larger participant pool. Additional studies with an increased sample size are warranted to further evaluate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed system.