Target Acquisition Performance Using a Head Mounted Cursor Control Device and a Stylus with Digitizing Tablet

The ability of users to control cursor movement by tilting and nodding their head from side to side and front to back was examined in the present study. Ten non-handicapped subjects performed a target acquisition task with a head-based cursor control device and a stylus with a digitizing tablet. A similar pattern of acquisition times was found for both devices, with the stylus based performance being about 2.5 times faster than head based performance. Acquisition time with both devices was significantly affected by target size and movement amplitude and could be well described by Fitts law. Acquisition times were also affected by target location. For the head-based control device it took subjects significantly longer to position the cursor in the horizontal axis than in the vertical axis, while for the stylus forward movement of the hand (up on the display) took longer. Several interpretations for these results as well as some practical implications are provided.