Four years ago I severed two tendons in my right hand and, since doing this, I do like to whinge about it. It makes handshakes a nightmare, makes driving for long periods of time painful and rock climbing is out of the question but otherwise I can do everything perfectly fine. I can still complete day to day things that most people don’t even think about – like typing and gaming.
Unfortunately society is designed for the majority and therefore not everything is as accessible as it should be. Gaming for example (if you have limited hand movement or damage to your hands or limbs) is not something that you can easily enjoy. Gaming has become one of the world’s favourite past times and is becoming a more and more social experience, this makes it a large thing to miss out on.
Enter former Cisco engineer Fred Davison who has spotted that gaming is not as accessible as it could be and is seeking help on Kickstarter. The controller he is looking to Kickstart is controlled by mouth rather than by hand, utilising ‘a joystick, four sip & puff sensors, a lip position sensor, and a push switch, connected to a 32 bit ARM processor that converts the sensor inputs into USB and Bluetooth signals for host devices’. This controller will work as any aftermarket controller or gamepad does and is easily connected to a PS3 or PC, and can be connected to an Xbox One or 360 by using an adapter. The controls are customisable and adaptable so that the controller is useable in a broader range of games and accessible for those with more limited mouth movements.
The controller makes use of software like Dragon Naturally Speaking so that voice commands can be recognised and used instead of physical buttons. The commands can be scripted so that the user can focus on the action instead of the name of the button (accelerate instead of right trigger for example). Voice commands are not essential but are a nice additional feature, especially for more complex games with more controls like any of the Elder Scrolls series for example.
Five prototypes of this device have been created and designs are being thoroughly tested to ensure they are functional and comfortable for long periods of gaming. The first line of this product is expected to be fully assembled in May… assuming the Kickstarter is a success. If you want to contribute or just read further check it out at: www.kickstarter.com/projects/227850484/quadstick-a-game-controller-for-quadriplegics