Stephen Hawking has been using the same system to communicate for the last 20 years. Much like how any computer needs an upgrade, Hawking's communication platform needed a boost, so he turned to Intel for some help. Of course, the company obliged, creating an updated platform for the renowned scientist.
Hawking spoke at an event in London to unveil his new communication platform, hailing Intel's work as "life-changing." Dubbed "Assistive Context Aware Toolkit," or ACAT, the platform was customized to meet the scientist's needs, allowing him to carry out tasks faster than ever before.
According to Lama Nachman, Intel's Principle Engineer, the new platform took three years to develop and works by tapping into Hawking's glasses and cheek motion. When a movement on his cheek is detected via an infrared sensor hooked up to his glasses, Hawking is able to choose a letter from the alphabet, then triggering a number of word suggestions for him.
"We're able to speed up some of the common tasks he does on his machine by about 10 times. Stephen was looking for something very familiar, that is similar to his current interface but much more effective," Nachman added.
Hawking was having problems with his old platform because his word-per-minute rate was dropping. Intel planned on reducing the number of characters he would have to type to complete words, working with developer SwiftKey to come up with a system for him.
By analyzing Hawking's works, SwiftKey was able to develop text-prediction technology that drastically cut the number of characters Hawking has to type to create words, now requiring just one in five letters for words he normally uses.
"Medicine has not been able to cure me, so I rely on technology to help me communicate and live. The development of this system has the potential to improve the lives of disabled people around the world and is leading the way in terms of human interaction and the ability to overcome communication boundaries that once stood in the way," said Hawking.
Hawking is just one out of over 3 million others living in the world with motor neuron diseases such as ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. What causes these diseases remain largely unknown, making it difficult to combat them as they take away an individual's ability for controlling muscle movements, which eventually leads to death.
Intel's work with Hawking proves technology can be leveraged to help patients beyond medical care. Intel plans to turn the platform open-source, making it available to users for free.
