Gavin G. Ovsak
Hopkins, MN
Grade: 12, Eden Prairie High School
The CHAD creates simpler, more cost effective computer control assistance for individuals with limited or no arm control. This new assistive device is worn on the head to make a "hands free" mouse interaction, while not being too restrictive of the body's other functions. For example, iris recognition requires constant focus and makes it impossible to look at anything else at the same time. The alternative inputs for this invention are the neck and jaw. The clicking is controlled by a "Bite-Switch", which has been repurposed from a skydiving camera accessory and is a very efficient input. It may be plugged into any computer USB port and works with no software installation or supplemental power. The CHAD also does all of the analyzing and processing data within the device for ease of use. The software is USB Human-Interface-Device Protocol compliant and is recognized as an ordinary mouse when plugged in. The components include an analog dual-axis accelerometer attached to a 16-bit PIC microcompressor, which is programmed to handle the necessary analog to digital conversions as well as a 20 MHz Crystal Oscillator that is the clock of the chip. The accelerometer measures a component vector of the acceleration from gravity (when at rest), which changes based on the angle of title. This dual-axis tilt can be used to guide the cursor's position.