Cursor Navigation Using Haptics for Motion-Impaired Computer Users

In recent years, typical desktop computer screen sizes and resolutions have increased significantly. The result of this is that a pointing device has to travel a much greater distance to navigate the whole of a computer screen. For motion-impaired operators that suffer from fatigue or have a limited range of movement this can make a computer inaccessible. This paper introduces a new method for cursor navigation using the Phantom Omni force-feedback device. The newly proposed workbox is designed to aid the operator with coarse navigation of the cursor and improve target selection. The proposed method can significantly reduce the effect of target distracters, which have been a major hindrance to the development of haptic assistance in graphical user interfaces (GUI). The workbox has shown to significantly improve computer access for operators with a limited range of movement by giving them the ability to navigate all of a computer screen.