| The second version of the solution
for Professor Hawking has been available for
several months here, and now it can be downloaded
from this site in addition. The third version
is nearly ready, and will be made available
as soon as it is assembled for downloading.
As before, the software will only work on
computers loaded with the Windows operating
system.
To appreciate why this software is being
written, you may want to read Professor
Stephen Hawking's description of his experience
with ALS.
Here is some of the text that Arun has
posted at Holistic IT, that comes near to
describing the sublimity of the experience
of working with Prof Hawking.
After I ran through my demo, Professor
Stephen Hawking started the slow process
of typing on his computer. See Professor
Hawking trying out eLocutor -- the picture
was taken in his Cambridge office on June
5, 2003.
Can
I thought maybe he wants to know something
about what the software can do...
I
and I held my breath...
try
and I was jubilant! His suggestions for
improvement:
1. Reduce the number of
items in a subtree, so that the entire subtree
fits into the Menu Tree
window.
2. Provide a look-ahead
for items appearing in the long-click window
(If you are wondering how he provides
feedback, here is a view
of his screen as he was conveying to
us Item 1 above).
This is how Version 2 works. We have named
this solution eLocutor, as it is a quick
yet sohisticated way to create text entry
from a single click device such as a mouse,
or any other such simple switch designed
for use with a computer.
As downloaded, the device will automatically
respond to the right button of the mouse,
but changing this is easy to configure.
It is also quite simple to open up a mouse
and connect any other kind of switch in
parallel. This is a boon, since the mouse
is a very cheap device and already comes
with the connectors and circuitry needed
for interfacing with practically any computer.
Here is a picture
of what we did for Prof Hawking to use his
current switch with eLocutor. A very temporary
fix, but it shows what can be done in a
jiffy for someone with similar needs, without
going to extraordinary and expensive lengths.
Evaluating software that is supposed to
enhance your productivity is hard, because
you cannot really estimate how much faster
you will be able to type, until you have
become thoroughly familiar with the software.
What we have done to allow you to gauge
the power and speed of the software in data
entry, is to make some videos. These were
made using Hypercam,
an excellent piece of software, that allows
you to make a video while you demonstrate
any software: it combines what is happening
on the screen, with whatever you speak into
your mike, and produces an .avi (that can
be viewed with Windows Media Player or Real
Player, among others -- if using the Windows
Media Player, please press Alt-Enter while
the video is playing, so that you see it
in Full Screen mode).
First, to get an idea of the speed, take
a look at entry of the text "may
I have some salt" (561 KB) using
the "next word" facility, in which
the software tries to predict what word
you may wish to type next. The numbers at
the bottom right of the screen measure the
number of clicks and seconds between entry
of the first word and the last -- for this
sentence, 9 clicks and 17 seconds were needed.
To type the sentence "what
is the date today" (579 KB) took
6 clicks and 13 seconds after the first
word was typed. No audio was recorded with
these files.
To take a closer look, first read an overview
of the visual
elements of the software
Then, view the training videos, in the
following order:
1. How
to open and view a file (3.1 MB)
2. Rapid
Navigation (4 MB)
3. Using
Next Word (5.3 MB)
4. Using
Word Completion (6.5 MB)
5. Phrase
Completion (2.5 MB)
6. Using
Templates (4.2 MB)
If you wish to run the software
itself, download eLocutor.zip
and unzip it into C:\eLocutor. Also download
dbmanager.zip
and unzip it into C:\dbmanager. Then run
C:\eLocutor\ELocutor.exe. If this doesn't
work, you might be missing some dll's, in
which case download eLocutor.CAB
and setup.exe
into any directory, and run setup.exe.
Please also read the readme
file. Now, you should be able to run C:\eLocutor\ELocutor.exe,
if not mail
me.
By now, you will have noticed, that the
vocabulary fed into the database so far
is mostly travel-related. To change this,
please look at modifying
the database.
Version 3 of the software, drawing from
this feedback, is now ready. It includes
a facility for reverse scanning of the tree,
macros (so that with one click the user
can execute a batch of commands) and easier
scanning of the predicted choices the computer
offers the user. The new software will shortly
be posted here.
We look forward to your comments on how
to improve the software, and adapt it to
the needs of people challenged in different
ways.
Offers of help in writing the software,
and finding funding for this attempt at
making software available to the physically
challenged free of cost, are very welcome
too.
How do we plan to take this forward? Take
a look at the letter
to the Indian President, which describes
the institute
we wish to set up. The idea is to teach
a mixed group of handicapped and other students
software, hardware and the basics of machine
design, so that they can make smart gadgets
for their own use. As an Internet search
will easily demonstrate, such gadgets are
frightfully expensive.
Students seeking to improve their own lives
will be highly motivated, so they should
pick up IT rather well, and have good job
opportunities. In this, we would be happy
to collaborate with any institute or place
of residence for the handicapped that wishes
to offer such courses to its wards. If you
know of such an institute that might be
interested, mail
us. |
