Six-button Click Interface for a Disabled User by an Adjustable Multi-level Sip-and-Puff Switch

There are various ways to control a computer, but today the mouse function, to move a cursor and to perform a click function, is essential. For motion-disabled persons, especially persons with high spinal cord injuries, special aids are needed to perform these interactions. In this study, an alternative way to perform a click function has been investigated, the sip-and-puff function. The purpose of the study was to improve an existing equipment used for click function, a sip-and-puff unit. An user-centred design approach was used, which means that the users took an active role in the development process, testing the prototypes in each development step and providing input for improvements. A survey of existing sip-and-puff units were performed, and from this and successive tests with the users, a sip-an-puff system was developed. As a result, a six level sip-and-puff unit to control a computer was developed. It was shown that spinal cord injured with high neck injuries could control a computer by using a multi-level sip-and-puff and that they could control the computer faster when they used a multileveled sip-and-puff instead of using a traditional sip-and-puff that only had two levels.