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When Deborah Luik developed painful bilateral tendinitis in her wrists and hands in 1998, her career as a computer programmer with business-to-business company RedSpark was in jeopardy. Although Luik could enter lines of computer code vocally using speech-to-text software from Dragon System's NaturallySpeaking, the program proved too slow and unwieldy for effective mouse-clicking and desktop navigation. Besides, the need to speak constantly to get her code entered while maneuvering between programs on the desktop strained her voice.
These days, Luik is less tired and more productive, thanks to an innovative product called Cyberlink Interface. To use the technology, Luik dons a cloth headband equipped with three sensors that connect to the PC. The headband can literally read Luik's mind, as well as small movements of her facial and eye muscles. When Luik thinks about moving the cursor to the left, it moves to the left. When she wants to open a program, she can mentally move her cursor to a file and click on it.
"I can do just about anything with [Cyberlink] that I can do with a computer with my hands," she says. "The program supports hands-free mouse, keyboard, and joy-stick control, left and right button clicks, and switch closures."
BRAIN POWER. Made by Brain Actuated Technologies in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Cyberlink Interface is the most advanced consumer technology available to disabled people who want to use a computer but can't use their hands. Aside from moving a cursor, the program also allows people with disabilities to play interactive video games and music.
Like many products benefiting the disabled, Cyberlink was not originally developed for them. Andrew Junker, an able-bodied electrical engineer, originally developed it to help automate his sailboat, so he could relax and enjoy the mystical aspects of sailing without the physical exertion. He adapted a version of Cyberlink for the disability field in 1996.
To date, schools have been the big buyers of the technology, rather than businesses, which aren't always as progressive when it comes to working with the handicapped and may be turned off by the added expense. But Luik's experience illustrates how useful Cyberlink could be for companies with disabled employees.
EXTENSIVE TRAINING. Still, the technology is a long way from being plug-and-play software with a headband attached: It's just not all that easy to use. To learn to move a cursor via Cyberlink, users need to practice with special software that trains them to "think" in ways the program understands. They must also learn to control involuntary responses, such as very fine facial- and eye-muscle movements and brain-wave patterns. The process is definitely not intuitive -- and it can be exhausting.
Although Luik claims some people learn to use Cyberlink in an hour, many other users say it typically takes one hour of training every day for a week to become proficient. The time frame varies depending on the severity and nature of the disability.
But in contrast to many other computer technologies for the disabled, Cyberlink has helped even those with the most serious handicaps unlock hidden abilities. At the Hope School in Loma Linda, Calif., 35 students with severe mental and physical challenges use the technology regularly, according to Program Director Todd Eachus. Some of the students had tested very low on IQ tests. But when Eachus connected them to Cyberlink, they quickly learned to play video games and perform other higher-level cognitive tasks. In fact, these students' reactions and learning patterns have caused Eachus to question whether the intelligence tests accurately showed their true learning potential.
EYESIGHT REQUIRED. Despite stories like this, the technology does have some limitations. Though Cyberlink performs mouse navigation more easily and faster than voice-recognition software, according to Luik, it can't draw diagrams or design screens accurately. "It's easy to get to a target but hard to drag it to just the right place and release it," says Luik, who uses Cyberlink at least three hours each day.
In addition, Cyberlink is difficult or impossible for the visually impaired to use because it requires the ability to see a monitor and lacks a graphics-to-speech capability. And at least for now, many users maintain that Cyberlink hasn't matched the performance of a standard mouse in speed or accuracy.
On the positive side, Cyberlink can be used in tandem with voice-recognition programs. For example, Luik uses Dragon NaturallySpeaking and Cyberlink at the same time -- with few problems. "They compete for the same sound card, so you must turn off automatic playback on correction in NaturallySpeaking," she says. "Also, you have to balance the sensitivity at which you run Cyberlink with how explosive your consonants are when you speak. Explosive consonants cause Cyberlink to click the mouse. I put Cyberlink to sleep if I'm doing pure dictation. Otherwise, I normally run with both of them together."
But, Luik warns, the goopy gel you have to smear on the back of your head to make the headband and sensors function properly might seem unpleasant. It did to me!
TAPPING UNUSED LABOR. Other users praise Cyberlink for its compatibility with various software packages. This list of packages includes Microsoft Outlook, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Word, Oracle Jdeveloper, Rational Rose, ERwin, Oracle Designer/2000, and Internet Explorer.
All this versatility doesn't come cheap, however: Cyberlink costs $1,995. Still, that's not a bad price when you consider what the technology can do. Buyers receive an interface unit, a headband/sensor harness, three sensors, a tube of CyberGel, a CD-ROM software package, cables, and a manual. Hardware requirements are minimal: a 486 66-Mhz processor or higher; MS-DOS version 6.0 or higher; Win 3.1, Win 95/98, or Win NT; 8 MB of RAM (16 for Windows 95/98); 10 MBs of hard-drive space; and two AA batteries.
Who else could benefit from Cyberlink? It's a terrific technology for those with brain trauma or lost limbs, stroke patients, arthritics, dyslexics, and people with cerebral palsy or neuromuscular disabilities such as Parkinson's disease. And for employers in today's tight labor market, Cyberlink's a relatively cheap way of accessing an extremely underutilized segment of the workforce.
Bottom line, Cyberlink can dramatically improve the productivity of people with disabilities. Here's hoping that many similar products will emerge in the near future. Although the technology is far from perfect, it offers the best solution on the market. And it could help enhance the lives of millions of Americans. That's pretty good for a couple grand.
Copyright 2000, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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