Wireless Predictive Text Entry System for the Handicapped

Text entry systems are commonly found in today's digital devices, including computers and smartphones that employ ‘QWERTY’ keyboards for user interaction. While these systems are intuitive for the general population, they present usability challenges for individuals with disabilities. The primary issue is the difficulty that people with disabilities encounter when trying to input text. Traditional keyboards typically feature 101 or 104 keys and demand substantial hand movements, making them impractical for individuals with limited hand mobility, especially those with disabilities. In this paper, we introduce a novel wireless predictive text entry system aimed at simplifying the text input process, enabling faster input for individuals with mobility challenges. This predictive text input system is similar to the T9 text input system keyboard, featuring a 3x3 grid arrangement of predictive text input keys. It empowers users to select words without the need to type the entire word into a search box. Subsequently, the selected word is seamlessly integrated into third-party applications, such as notepad. Furthermore, the input device designed for this system is portable, lightweight, and boasts extended battery life, ensuring user-friendliness. It emulates the functionality of graphical user interface (GUI) software, featuring a 3x3 grid arrangement of keys. Finally, the proposed input device is tested by individuals that operate it with a single hand, using a lone finger for text entry and achieved 11.2 word per minutes (WPM).