Comunicator for Intubated ICU Patients

[fluffyone]

Everybody,

I am a young engineer/programmer from Romania. My parents work in an ICU in hospitals here. I saw a patient that was paralised from the neck down and was also intubated, and they were having trouble comunicating to him. They were asking him questions and he would move his eyes to answer, but it was really painstaking.

I snooped around and found out that there was a device that sensed the movement of the muscles surrounding the ocular globe and turned them into letters but that wouldn't be to practical for a patient that would be out of the ward in a short time (it was really complicated to use). I came up with a design for a device with a digital camera and a screen (kinna like the universal soldier had) that would follow the patient's eyes in order to make out basic commands/requests.

I want to know if this would be practical and if something like this already exists. The plans are on the roll at the Romanian Inventors Comission for evaluation, but I want to know if you have ever seen something like that. (I'd rather retract them myself than being placed on a whall of shame).

Thanks, Vladimir.

[email protected]

[fluffyone]

I would even apreciate comments or ideas on how to make this more practical. For example, what phrases/commands should this gizmo have?

Thanks again, Vladimir.

[email protected]

[LindaMarie76]

Sounds great. Haven't seen or heard anything like that before.

Good Luck and keep us updated.

Linda

Everybody,

I am a young engineer/programmer from Romania. My parents work in an ICU in hospitals here. I saw a patient that was paralised from the neck down and was also intubated, and they were having trouble comunicating to him. They were asking him questions and he would move his eyes to answer, but it was really painstaking.

I snooped around and found out that there was a device that sensed the movement of the muscles surrounding the ocular globe and turned them into letters but that wouldn't be to practical for a patient that would be out of the ward in a short time (it was really complicated to use). I came up with a design for a device with a digital camera and a screen (kinna like the universal soldier had) that would follow the patient's eyes in order to make out basic commands/requests.

I want to know if this would be practical and if something like this already exists. The plans are on the roll at the Romanian Inventors Comission for evaluation, but I want to know if you have ever seen something like that. (I'd rather retract them myself than being placed on a whall of shame).

Thanks, Vladimir.

[email protected]