SINA II, Sistema de Interaccion Natural Avanzado

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SINA II, Sistema de Interaccion Natural Avanzado
Francisco J. Perales, Francisca Negre
Universitat de les Illes Balears, Mallorca, Spain
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Project Summary

• SINA (Natural Advanced Interaction Systems) is a
  hands-free interface system that can be the best
  choice for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) for
  people with physical disabilities that are not
  capable of using traditional input devices
• Starting in January 2007 to September 2009,
  although SINA III is considered to develop
  further from October 2009.

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Needs/Problems

• Once a first prototype is developed in the
  laboratory, taking into account design and
  usability requirements, the real users are
  considered those who finally categorize an
  interface as useful or not
• An evaluation of our interface with users with
  cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis has been
  carried out during a 9 month long project

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Goals/Objectives

• SINA II is an improved version tested with higher
  number of end users and resulting in secondary
  positive effects
• functional rehabilitation using a set of
  training exercises designed to reach natural
  mouse control

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Key Benefits

• Using SINA II as a computer access method for
  future user necessities
• The discovery of SINA II as a rehabilitation tool
  
• Therapists are really pleased to observe how
  users maintain their posture and head straight
• The involuntary movements reduce once the user
  sits in front of the webcam and concentrates on
  the tasks

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Main Activities

• We have been working with various centers for 9
  months. The project was divided in four phases
• First phase was to choose the most appropriate
  users to participate in the project, taking into
  account issues such as the possibility of using
  SINA as a computer access method for future user
  necessities.
• Secondly, a personal planning of tasks was
  necessary for each user as their characteristics
  differ among them
• Then the sessions with the users were carried out
  
• Finally an evaluation of the results was made
• User\Requirements State of art analysis
  (completed)
• Design and development (completed)
• Pilot testing (completed)
• Dissemination and exploitation (ongoing)

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Interface Website
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Evaluation

• After the first phase of evaluation, due to the
  feedback of the users, changes in the design have
  been made during the whole projects duration.
• Some modifications were small and didnt imply a
  great effort in programming, but it meant very
  important variations in usability issues.
• Changes were made on the interface appearance, a
  users profile for each user was created with
  their own interface settings, new features in the
  users profile were included and the computer
  vision algorithms improved.
• Another important consideration that the
  pedagogical group thought was the creation of
  simple games for learning the SINA operations.
  Three kinds of games were planned by the
  pedagogical group action/reaction, motion and
  practicing the execution of mouse events, (SINA
  training games).
• We have evaluated the interface, and in the seven
  CP cases of our study we have improved their
  access method, either offering an adequate
  interaction system or relaxing the working
  posture of the users.

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Users Profiles
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Contact Details

• Provide Contact details
• http//dmi.uib.es/ugiv/sina/
• Dr. Francisco J. Perales Dr. Joan Jordi
  Muntaner
• This work is subsidized by the projects
  TIN2007-67993 and TIN2007-67896 from the MCYT
  Spanish Government and by the Balearic Island
  Government, IBIT Foundation, Institut de Serveis
  Socials i Esportius de Mallorca and UIB. J.
  Varona contracts is funded by a Ramon y Cajal
  Program, and confounded by the European Social
  Fund.

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Special Acknowledgments
Joan XXIII
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Future Work (SINA III)

• Dissemination and evaluation using more centers
  and end users with new characteristics
• Increase the functionality of SINA (voice, eye
  tracking and BCI)
• Increase and adapt the SINA Game database in
  order to improve cognitive and physical
  requirements of end users.
• Include and qualitative and quantitative
  exhaustive evaluation using portable BCI in order
  to clarify the functional rehabilitation of end
  users (neuroplasticity capabilities of SINA)
• Increase the portability to all platforms

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Questions?