Auxilio: Interacting with a computer differently

Auxilio (meaning "to assist" in Latin) is a head mounted wireless device, created by a group of youngsters, as an alternative means for controlling a computer mouse. With this device, users can move the cursor by rotating their head in different directions, and implement clicks by their eye blinks. "The default setting is left wink for left click and right wink for right click, but the user can swap clicks between eyes, based on their preferences," says Ridwan Kabir, Lecturer, CSE, IUT, and one of the founders of Auxilio. The other founders include his students Ishrak Abedin, Rizvi Ahmed and Saad Bin Ashraf.

Auxilio also has a provision for adjusting the mouse cursor sensitivity. For disabling the head mouse the user has to look down ()30°) and wink two eyes together. For enabling it again, the user has to look up ()30°) and wink two eyes together.

The founders of Auxilio.

Team Auxilio has been working on their passion project for over a year.  "Growing up as a fan of Iron Man from the Marvel comics, I always wanted to develop something that would enable people to interact with a computer differently," says Ridwan. "My students had developed an alternative mouse controlling method using hand gestures as a part of their semester project. But we could not find any uniqueness or research perspective from it, as there are devices in the market already that use the same concept for controlling a mouse. Auxilio is different because we can use our heads and eyes to control a mouse, and so, we put our ideas and skills into it." 

With Auxilio and a virtual keyboard, users can carry out document-related jobs in MS Office. Feelancing has become a major source of income for many. Whereas, people with disabilities or paralysed limbs are lagging behind, which in turn, is impacting our national revenue. Auxilio can assist people with special needs to succeed," asserts Ridwan. Auxilio aims to give individuals with special needs a degree of freedom so that they do not feel deprived. Rather, they can showcase their skills and knowledge to their full potential with the assistance of this device.  Moreover, it is a fun tool to use for children has many prospects in virtual reality, simulation, and other fields.

Auxilio is still in its prototype phase and its prospects are still being researched.  As of now, the device consists of an adjustable helmet and glasses, a fairly bulky setup. The prototype costed about BDT 4,220. The makers intend to bring the entire setup down to the size of a wearable glass and reduce its production cost, once it is officially launched.

At the BASIS Soft Expo 2020, Team Auxilio stood out as the champions of the project showcasing round.  Different NGOs and businesses have already approached the team to discuss the impacts of Auxilio and its target audience. Auxilio does not require any Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection to be set up with a computer. It works solely in the 2.4GHz band of commercially available radio-controlled toys, which makes it a low-cost and simple assistive tool.