Mind over Mobility

“..technology is a vital part of human existence. ..the right tools in the right hands can help everyone, regardless of our frailties, to achieve our true potential and advance as a civilisation.” -Stephen Hawking

When considering the list of inspirational people who use assistive technology to achieve great things, at the top of most lists would be Professor Stephen Hawking.

The World famous Cosmologist, Physicist, Mathematician and Author was originally only given an estimated couple of years to live after the initial diagnosis of his illness.

Stephen Hawking has Motor Neurone Disease, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
This means that over a period of time the cells that control voluntary muscle activity (including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body) start to degenerate. 

For what is an extremely limiting illness for some, hasn’t restricted Prof. Hawking from doing anything he wants to do. 

He’s written a number of books including best seller, ‘A Brief History Of Time” (1988) which has sold over 10,000,000 copies. He has also co-written children’s fiction with the help of his daughter, Lucy. 

His popularity and sense of humour has landed him cameo roles in some of popular cultures greatest shows such as Star Trek TNG, The Simpsons, Futurama and most recently in The Big Bang Theory.

As of 2012, Stephen Hawking is almost completely paralysed.
He lost the ability to speak after he had a tracheotomy operation following pneumonia back in 1985.   

 “For a time, the only way I could communicate was to spell out words letter by letter, by raising my eyebrows when someone pointed to the right letter on a spelling card." says Hawking, “ It is pretty difficult to carry on a conversation like that, let alone write a  scientific paper.”

Technological advancements have allowed Hawking to communicate through a text to speech device.  Before Prof. Hawking lost the mobility in his hands, he had used a thumb switch and a blink-switch attached to his glasses to control his computer and select the correct letters.
He now uses muscle movement in his face, combining squeezing his cheeks and "blinking” which activates an infra-red switch which can scan and select characters (letter by letter) on the screen in order to compose speeches, surf the Internet and send e-mails.

In July this year, it was announced that several American companies are researching new ways that Assistive Technology can help Prof. Hawking. Due to Hawking’s condition, his cheek muscles will eventually deteriorate, which could eliminate his ability to communicate, leaving him with “Locked-in Syndrome”.

One American scientist, Professor Philip Low, is working on something called ‘iBrain’. The iBrain is a headset that records brain waves through EEG (electroencephalograph) readings - electrical activity recorded from the user's scalp.

This may allow Prof. Hawking to "write" words with his brain as an alternative to his current speech system which interprets cheek muscle movements.

Alternatively , US chipmaker, Intel, announced that it had also started work to create a new communication system for Prof. Hawking. It is attempting to develop new 3D facial gesture recognition software to speed up the rate at which Prof. Hawking can write.

Hopefully the research and discoveries from these scientists will benefit many others who face similar communication restrictions due to their disability.

Stephen Hawking is a highly decorated person, and has received many major awards and honors for his work.

Earlier this year Professor Stephen Hawking was the toast of the Technology4Good Awards, winning a Special Award for Excellence in Accessibility at the Awards Ceremony at BT Centre, London. The 200-strong audience heard a specially recorded acceptance speech from the man himself

The Awards are organised by AbilityNet and BT to recognise the many ways that people use computers and the internet to help make the world a better place. Professor Hawking received the Special Award for inspiring disabled people to achieve their true potential.

Accepting the Award he said:

“I am delighted to accept this Award as recognition for all the truly great things that disabled people can achieve when technology has given them the chance to shine.  I was lucky to have been born in the computer age.  Without them, my life would have been miserable and my scientific career impossible.

 “AbilityNet continues to help disabled people in all walks of life and the Technology4Good Awards remind us that technology is a vital part of human existence. They show us that the right tools in the right hands can help everyone, regardless of our frailties, to achieve our true potential and advance as a civilisation.”

Listen to Stephen Hawking's Speech here: 

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resources:http://www.hawking.org.uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18749963http://www.gizmag.com/ibrain-stephen-hawking-communicate-brainwaves/23182/