Comparison of three head-controlled mouse emulators in three light conditions

Three infrared head-controlled mouse emulators (HeadMouse Extreme, Tracker Pro and Tracker Inside) were paired with an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device (Pathfinder) and tested for speed and accuracy in three different light conditions. Eleven participants tested the systems, entering a list of common statements used by AAC users. The Language Activity Monitor (LAM) recorded all selections made. The data were analyzed for error rate and selection rate. The results revealed that (a) in a single light condition, the different mouse emulators performed significantly differently from each other, (b) in general, a single mouse emulator performed consistently across all light conditions, and (c) the external mouse emulators performed better than the internal emulator, for speed and accuracy, in all light conditions.