Mouse Operation Support Application for People Suffering from Neuromuscular Disease with Muscular Depression

The Research Institute of the National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities has been developing an assistive application for mouse operations for use by persons suffering from neuromuscular disease with muscular depression. When persons with neuromuscular disease have trouble using a standard type of mouse to operate personal computers, we try on them commercially available track ball, slide pad or mouse operation device for disabled persons just to find that such devices do not fit them so well because their upper limb’s movable range is so small and less dexterous. To cope with such difficulties and to assist users’ operations to move the mouse cursor, we have developed an application that is tuned with the motions of the upper limbs and fingers. In particular, the developed application has an additional function to compensate user’s mouse cursor’s large movement operations so that it can just fit in the cases where persons with muscular depression cannot lift up the mouse or let the fingers off the slide pad.