The system, called ACAT for Assistive Context-Aware Toolkit, is now available for free as an open source code.
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Stephen Hawking made headlines earlier this year after WIRED UK detailed Intel’s three-year-long effort to revamp the famed physicist’s speech software. All in all, the project’s public release is a great step forward to achieving Professor Hawking’s dream of making connected wheelchair and assistive computer technology to every person that needs it.
Since 2005, 73-year-old Hawking has used an infrared system mounted to his glasses to detect cheek movements, producing about one word per minute. Intel has described it as “an open source platform developed at Intel Labs to enable people with motor neuron diseases and other disabilities to have full access to the capabilities and applications of their computers through very constrained interfaces suitable for their condition.” The system can also open documents, browse the web and gives users surprisingly precise cursor control.
The chip-maker hopes that developers will eventually add their own sensory features and is partnering with universities who will experiment with it, too.
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“We are pushing the boundaries of what is possible with technology, without it I would not be able to speak to you today”, Hawking said when the software was first unveiled in December 2014. Developers can now explore its potential for more custom inputs. Using software from SwiftKey he has to type 20 percent fewer characters overall. Intel is actually the company behind the software and for those who are interested in taking a peek under its hood, you now can.
