Headmouse type system range question

[SaraC]

Hello everyone. Newbie, here.

Someone I know is trialing a Headmouse Extreme system for hands-free cursor control. This system uses a sensor mounted on the monitor to detect a dot on the user's forehead; moving the head controls the cursor. He's running a MacBook Pro through a 52" high def screen as a monitor. He is paralyzed and sits in a wheelchair with his head around nine feet away from the screen. The problem is that the sensor has a maximum range of five feet. There are other sensor placement solutions we are looking at, but my question is does anyone know of a similar system with a maximum range of ten feet or more?

Thanks so much!

Sara

[Julius]

Hi, I don't think that you'll find any head control device that will work within that range. This is for physical reasons: if the distance between the camera and the dot becomes too large, the movement of the dot is too small to be recognized by the system. But there is a simple solution. Just position the camera system close enough (i. e. less than 5 feet) to the users head. you may use somthing like a swan neck (or goose neck) that can easily be fixed to the wheel chair. Please come back if you need more information.
Regards
Julius

[SaraC]

Thank you, Julius! I will pass the information along and I will certainly come back with questions. Probably a lot of 'em.

[SaraC]

Jason, the person for whom I posted this thread asked me to thank you and said your advice was spot on. He also said, "After spending the last two days tooling around the computer on my own, it's clear that the optimum position for the sensor is about 18 inches from my face. We're going to get an attachment for my chair with something like a gooseneck that will let us position it perfectly."

So, thanks again. I'm sure when he gets the hang of all this he'll be here posting himself.