RFIShoe (RFIT-assisted shoe mouse for impaired peaple)

RFIShoe is a virtual mouse application for disabled people using a pair of RFID and bluetooth-based Intelligent Shoes. The app targets people with upper limb disability, who cannot use a regular mouse. Each shoe, deriving from an intelligent footwear system designed by the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, contains eight sensors for detecting pressure from different positions of the feet. Thanks to RFID technology, RFIShoe can be easily customized to suit each user, making it possible to control a mouse cursor with small feet gestures, for instance, by tapping with the toe or heel against the floor.  RFIShoe uses a RFID tag attached to the shoes to store the user’s personal profile reflecting their specific requirements. The customizable settings include the preferred primary foot, the amount of pressure exerted by the user’s feet (affecting the sensors’ pressure threshold level), and the user’s preferred method of simulating mouse clicking. The RFID-tag also features an auto-login function and a customization tool for modifying information and storing changes in the tag. The efficiency and accuracy offered by RFIShoe beats assistive products currently available. With 5.2% of the Hong Kong SAR population living with a disability, RFIShoe sets social responsibility above commercial profit, at the same time closing the “digital divide” for people with disabilities.