This paper reports on the development of an eyeglass-type infrared-controlled telephone communication interface for the disabled. This system is comprised of four major components: A) a headset; B) an infrared transmitting module; C) an infrared receiving/signal-processing module; and D) a main controller, the Intel-8951 microprocessor. The headset with a tongue-touch panel, a wireless earphone, and a wireless microphone. The infrared transmitting module utilizes a tongue touch panel via tongue-touch circuitry which is converted to an infrared beam and a low power laser (<0.1 mW) beam. The infrared receiving/signal-processing module, receives the infrared beam and fine tunes the unstable infrared beam into standard pulses which are used as control signals. The main controller is responsible for detecting the input signals from the infrared receiving/signal-processing module and verifying these signals with the mapping table in its memory. After the signal is verified, it is released to control the keys of the telephone interface. This design concept was mainly based on the idea that the use of an infrared remote module fastened to the eyeglasses could allow the convenient control of the dialing motion on the keys of a telephone's dialing-pad which are all modified with infrared receiving/signal-processing modules. The disabled are competent for some of work, such as a telephone operator. The increase of opportunity to do a job for the disabled would help them live independently.

Most of the current research is focused on the row-column scanning keyboard interface for English letter and number input. At the present time, there are insufficient methods to control the computer mouse effectively. In this study, a categorized row-column scanning computer interface is developed to improve the conventional single key-in row-column scanning method. The beneficial developments include: speed enhancement by categorizing radicals of keyboard, input control of mouse, and multiple selection of input methods such as surface electromyographic (SEMG) control, breath pressure sensibility control with puff, force sensibility control, infrared sensibility control and single key-in control. Meanwhile, an enhancement software package is developed to increase the row-column scanning keyboard capabilities and to upgrade the completeness of the computer mouse for the disabled persons to control the operation of data entry and the associated implementation better.