For those severely physically disabled persons who are unable to use keyboards, the computer has to be adapted to operate from the limited signals that can be obtained from controlled movements. These movements need to be identified and appropriate devices provided which can produce suitable signals to operate a computer. To minimize programming effort, it is also necessary to standardize on a particular form of input signal-in our case, one or two on/off contacts-for which the programs are developed. It is desirable for user input devices to be linked to the computer through an Interface Control Unit, which can also be operated from a remote infra-red unit mounted on a wheelchair. Such units are described.

Computers↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Human-computer interaction and expert systems for three-dimensional studies of biomedical images.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of serial sections, observed by microscopy, is an important technique in medicine and biology. To view any part of a structure clearly, that part has to be identified and clearly highlighted in its relationship to other features in a structure. The identification process can be time consuming and tedious if many sections are involved, especially for routine applications, since human identification is required. In this paper we describe how image processing, together with other information on the shape and position of features relative to each other on any one section and throughout the structure, could be incorporated into an expert system and we also show how such a system could be designed. An important feature is the use of human-computer interaction to allow the system to evolve under the guidance of the biological or medical expert. An example of feature identification in a plant-parasitic nematode is used.

Animals↗