In recent years there has been a trend to deploy
video cameras in public environments for surveillance of human
activities or monitoring of traffic flow. In our homes, inexpensive
webcams have become popular. It is reasonable to expect that networked
video cameras will be embedded in most machines and buildings within the
next decade. In anticipation of these changes in our environments, we
are developing OpenSesame, an environment that will enhance the
functional abilities of people with severe disabilities---children who
are unable to speak, walk, or manually operate standard peripherals.
OpenSesame leverages the Sensorium infrastructure of networked video
sensors to provide these individuals with a taste of what most of us
take for granted---the ability to communicate and interact seamlessly.
Towards that vision, significant advances in many
fields are needed to overcome the shortcomings of currently available
assistive technologies. In today's assistive environments, the
individual is the one to accommodate the requirements of available
interfaces. This is extremely challenging for people with limited motion
controls. In OpenSesame, we seek to reverse this state of
affairs. OpenSesame will provide an environment which will place
far fewer demands and constraints on the individual and will place the
greatest burden on the technology itself.
