innovate arkansas

Alma-based Invotek Inc. recently earned three Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grants totaling $1.95 million for developing typing techniques for people with disabilities.

Two of the grants, worth $700,000 and $750,000, respectively, will go toward working on techniques using lasers to input text and research into speech-recognition for people who have difficulty speaking clearly.

Invotek, which focuses on research and development intended to help people with severe disabilities, has been awarded 16 grants since it was started in 1988, said Tom Jakobs, president and CEO.

One of Invotek's most recent innovations is the AccuPoint head tracking system, for which the company received the third grant for $500,000. The system lets users direct a cursor onscreen to wherever their head is pointing.

The unit keeps the cursor in position even if the user moves away from the computer, and cancels out any tremor-related movements. The sensitivity of cursor movement can be adjusted depending on the user's range of motion.

The system is used in conjunction with an on-screen keyboard. Invotek is currently working to secure distribution channels for the AccuPoint system, which should be available later this fall for about $1,000, Jakobs said.

Jakobs expects the laser-activated keyboard and voice recognition technologies will take a couple of years to finish. The company often works on projects in conjunction with colleges such as Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The National Institutes of Health provided the funding for Invotek's most recent grants.