Two city-based engineering students have come up with a device that may just help people affected by paralysis to communicate with others. The duo — Mohit R Golecha and Gadhiya Abhay Dipakbhai —third year engineering students from Oxford College of Engineering, were recently selected to be a part of a competition for their innovation called V Info (Visual Information).

Speaking to us before heading for the competition, scheduled to be held in Dubai, Mohit said that the idea for having a device for patients affected by paralysis came after he saw his friend, whose relative had a stroke and couldn’t communicate at all. “When our friend visited his aunt in the hospital, we realized how traumatizing it must be for his relative and others to be unable to communicate with each other,” says Mohit, adding that that is when he thought why not have a device which such patients can wear and communicate with others. The device, V-Info, can be worn like a spectacle by the patient either on the left or the right eye. It is then that the patient, using an interface such as a computer or a TV, can communicate with others. “The device detects the motion of the pupil in the eye. Using this device, the individual using the virtual keyboard can type a message for others to read. The cursor moves as his or her eye moves to every letter,” explains Mohit.

The device, which the duo took two weeks to come up with, as of now is compatible only with a computer or a television. “Since the screen of a phone is small, there isn’t much eye movement from one side to another. However, we will keep working on it and hopefully will come up with a solution to this so that it can be paired with other devices as well. This is a very simple integration in a strong application,” Mohit sums up.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bengaluru News / by Sandra Marina Fernandes / December 18th, 2017