Infrared tracking allows city man to play golf using lap-top computer
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/technology1/stories/010815/647538.html
Wednesday 15 August 2001
Bill Miller is back on the links
for good.
The nerve-debilitating effects of
multiple sclerosis gradually paralyzed the 55-year-old from the shoulders
down, confining him to a wheelchair in 1991. He lost almost all movement
in his hands in 1994. But that has not stopped him from perfecting his
golf swing on Californian fairways.
With the aid of an infrared laser
and the precise right-to-left movements of his head to guide the swing
of his virtual club, the Edmonton native played with some of the game's
best during a 15-hole tournament at Pelican Hills Golf Course in Newport
Beach, Calif., last summer.
"If you move your head too far down,
you slice the ball," he says.
"Too far up, and you top it. There's
a major degree of physical control."
In the first-of-its-kind event, Miller
and 14 other quadriplegics used infrared tracking to play in the Real Abilities
Charity Golf Tournament with five players from the Professional Golf Association,
including Jon Wright, Brigham Gibbs, Chris Jones, Eric Neilson and Tommy
Johnson.
"Talk about your moment in the sun!"
he recalls.
Quadriplegic players on the course
relied on a lap-top screen attached to the arms of their chairs and a "sip
and puff" straw or a "cheek switch" to click on their virtual golf-club
selections, rather than a conventional mouse.
An infrared laser aimed at the user's
forehead is picked up by a quarter-sized white dot usually clipped to the
brim of a hat. The dot reflects the laser back at the screen and the user
moves the cursor with their head.
On their glare-resistant screens,
quadriplegic players at Pelican Hills surveyed a graphic replica of each
hole, complete with sand traps, trees and houses that were even at the
same stage of construction as they were in real life. Players chose from
the usual range of clubs and contended with real wind speeds on the course.
The force of the player's swing was determined by the speed at which they
moved their head.
A global positioning system kept
track of where their virtual ball fell in relation to the actual fairway.
"The system is completely self-contained
and runs on a 12-volt battery. It puts players somewhere between Jack Nicklaus
and a Star Wars pilot," Miller says.
"You actually have the ability not
just to make a choice, but to give input on the speed and force at which
the ball travels."
The same infrared device, designed
by Edmonton-based Madentec Ltd., stared back at users who visited Alberta
House on the main floor of Edmonton City Centre West, 102nd Street and
102nd Avenue, during the World's.
For Miller, the device has allowed
him to enjoy sports again. "I was born in a locker room," he says of his
love for sports.
The Edmontonian, who is a self-proclaimed
"over-achiever," has not looked back. Instead, he is focused on the future
applications of infrared tracking technology and the possibility that more
disabled people will use it. He says the laser-guided mouse can be easily
applied to other sports like baseball.
An accomplished artist, Miller has
already applied the technology to painting with great success. "This technology
has really put me in a position where I can increase my self-esteem and
independence by remaining active and creative."
Bill Miller's art work and information
on assistive technologies can be found at http://www.theartmiller.ab.ca/bluewind.
Scott Foster, Journal Staff Writer
The Edmonton Journal