The CtrlAlt Helper

Developing a Helpful Tool

to support a stroke survivor

The Inventor Center teaches classes on Blender, an open-source software that specializes in animation, 3D rendering and more. One of our students loved learning this neat software. However, as a stroke survivor, he had limited mobility, especially on his right side. To help him better maneuver the keyboard and controls, Inventor Center coordinator JohnP. devised a plan.

CONTROL, ALT, SHIFT, HELP

Advanced keyboard shortcuts can at times be challenging and slow when you have limited use of your hands. Noticing this, John started working on a foot-controlled human interface device (HID). Naming it the CtrlAlt Helper, he programed 4 buttons to engage the control, alt, shift, and control+shift (the “help” button) keys each for 12 seconds. To help the user remember each button, John engraved the word CASH onto the top of the device. The CtrlAlt Helper allows the user to have free hands to use the mouse or keyboard for an additional key. This was coded in circuit python to emulate a keyboard, and uses an ARM cortex MO MCU (microprocessor).

A surprise gift

John presented the device to our member as a surprise. He was so excited about the possibilities of using this foot-controlled HID to learn and animate more quickly. “I can’t wait until this is second nature… This is a huge help!”

A camera crew came to check out the scene and record the reaction. You can check out their coverage here.

We love helping people whenever we can! If you think you have an idea for a device that can help members of our community but aren’t sure where to start, reach out to us. We would love to work on your idea with you!