Ilham A.E. Zaeni, Dyah Lestari, Soraya Norma Mustika, M. Iqsyarifal Fakhri, Muhammad Khusairi Osman, Khairul Azman Ahmad
This research was designed to present a foot-operated assistive keyboard for people with hand disabilities, enabling them to access computers and type efficiently. It consists of five buttons-four to select options and one to cancel-along with an OLED display that guides users through a hierarchical character selection menu. In an evaluation involving five participants typing six sentences in their national language, the QWERTY keyboard was the most efficient, with typing times between 13.49 and 27.84 seconds, followed by the T9 keyboard with times ranging from 62.42 to 130.36 seconds. The proposed keyboard, specifically designed for accessibility with only four foot-operated buttons, had the longest typing times, between 218.68 and 450.60 seconds. While slower, the device reduces physical and cognitive effort, with the potential to improve further with user feedback and technological refinements. This study highlighted the importance of open-source customization in developing accessible assistive tools. © 2024 IEEE.
Universitas Negeri Malang, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Malang, Indonesia; Universitas Negeri Malang, Faculty of Vocational, Malang, Indonesia; Universiti Teknologi Mara, Center for Electrical Eng. Studies, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia