Body-machine interface for control of a screen cursor for a child with congenital absence of upper and lower limbs: a case report

BACKGROUND: There has been a recent interest in the development of body-machine interfaces which allow individuals with motor impairments to control assistive devices using body movements. METHODS: In this case study, we report findings in the context of the development of such an interface for a 10-year old child with congenital absence of upper and lower limbs. The interface consisted of 4 wireless inertial measurement units (IMUs), which we used to map movements of the upper body to the position of a cursor on a screen. We examined the learning of a task in which the child had to move the cursor to specified targets on the screen as quickly as possible. In addition, we also determined the robustness of the interface by evaluating the child’s performance in two different body postures. RESULTS: We found that the child was not only able to learn the task rapidly, but also showed superior performance when compared to typically developing children in the same age range. Moreover, task performance was comparable for the two different body postures, suggesting that the child was able to control the device in different postures without the need for interface recalibration. CONCLUSIONS: These results clearly establish the viability and robustness of the proposed non-invasive body-machine interface for pediatric populations with severe motor limitations.