CHAD stands for Circuit-Hat Accessibility Device and is an electronic hat that can allows complete cursor control through head motion and a bite sensor. The CHAD was developed by Gavin Ovsák as a Science Fair Project and has had enormous success! After Gavin finishes tweaking it to perfection, and after he has presented it to the various International science fairs (JSHS, ISEF) the CHAD will be making it’s way toward production!
Few devices currently exist to help individuals with limited arm muscle control to access computers. Ovsák designed a circuit board that is embedded on a baseball cap for the purpose of replacing the functions of a typical hand held computer mouse. This device, known as the CHAD (Circuit Head Accessibility Device), is less expensive, more efficient, and uses a less complex software interface than what is currently available in the market.
The device directs a computer cursor with the use of head movements and a bite sensor that allows users to click on an item or icon. Ovsák calculated the navigational rate quotient between a hand-held computer mouse and my new head-mounted device. Far surpassing his original hypothesis, the adult able-bodied test subjects who used the CHAD during the initial testing phase showed, on average, a 35% navigational rate at the completion of their testing.
Test groups with disabilities have supported the hypothesis that this level of efficiency is not limited to able-bodied users. The CHAD has the ability to empower thousands of disabled individuals to regain a similar level of interaction and interface efficiency as their able-bodied counterparts.
