Internet browsing application based on electrooculography for disabled people

This paper describes an Internet browsing application based on electrooculography (EOG) aimed at people with a severe motor disability, i.e., people who cannot move their arms. This application is made up of two subsystems: writing and browser. It allows the user to navigate through Internet introducing text, clicking on active elements and moving around the screen using only their eyes. It also includes a word predictor to increase navigation speed. An EOG algorithm is capable of detecting four different directions of the users’ eyes movement: left, right, up and down, and the blink. With these five commands, the user has full control of the application. Six healthy volunteers tested the Internet browsing application by performing three different tests that consisted of writing, searching and mouse controlling tasks. The results show that all users are capable of completing the whole tests in a reasonable time and they improve their speed with training. These results suggest that the Internet browsing application could be used by disabled people, improving their integration in the information society.

► An Internet browsing application based on electrooculography has been designed. ► The application allows navigating through Internet and introducing words. ► The EOG interface detects the direction of eyes movements and the blink. ► A word predictor has been introduced to increase writing speed. ► The volunteers performed writing and searching tests with good results.