Our mainstay might be the sale of new and refurbished Dell laptops, but at the same time there’s nothing we like to hear about more than computer technology being used for the greater good. So, we thought we’d share with you an example of the incredible things the world’s most dedicated developers and researchers are coming up with right now.

A mechanical engineering student from the United Kingdom has devised an incredibly effective new system that could bring hope to thousands left unable to communicate due to paralysis. Robert Green from Loughborough University developed a digital letter board, which is not only extremely easy to use but also one of the most affordable prototypes of its kind created to date.

In theory, the new system could be combined with even the cheapest laptops on the market in order to bring an effective system of communication to vast numbers of disabled adults and children alike. In conjunction with a piece of software written by Mr Green, the system utilises eye and finger movement detection technology in order to allow the individual to create words and sentences which are then read out loud by the computer.

“I have been able to create a prototype at a total cost of £164,” he wrote in a statement outlining the system to local media sources.

“I hope to significantly improve the lives of people suffering from degenerative conditions by giving a voice to those who are unable to speak and who have very limited body movement.”

Robert’s comparatively simple system utilises two resistors, a pair of standard 3D cinema glasses and an optical reflectance sensor. The user’s eye movements are tracked by way of the sensor which is attached to the frame of the glasses, allowing the user to scroll through letters on the computer screen and select them from a board of available options. An intelligent predictive text feature allows for the faster completion of words, which are then read out on behalf of the user.

At such a low price, it is hoped that this or a similar system could eventually be made readily and routinely available to those with paralysis-related speech loss.