Abstract — We have developed devices that help tetraplegics to perform some professional activities adapted to their capabilities, in an attempt to promote their social reintegration and also to provide them with a source of income. As tetraplegics lack the movements of their upper limbs, few options of work are available for them. We have gathered a group of tetraplegics into different categories, according to their preserved movements. We have then analyzed in the market which professional activities required less amount of adaptations in order to be performed by these subjects. A photo studio, a print shop, and a fast food store were found to be the most appropriate places for these groups to work. Some adaptations were developed in order to facilitate access the workstations. Sensors, settled in determined places of the workstation, may allow the activation of a gear system by the remaining movements of the tetraplegic subject, in order to perform some specific task such as moving a photographic camera or emulating a computer mouse to select determined functions, as the edition and impression of pictures, post cards, invitation cards, and printable films. The system also allowed them to digitilize pictures and images of items displayed on a computer screen. The devices were successfully tested by non-tetraplegic volunteers and then by the tetraplegics themselves. The system has been found to be very practical and easy to use, without requiring great effort by the user. Key-words: professional rehabilitation, computerized work and tetraplegia, man-computer interface. I. INTRODUCTION Despite the professional rehabilitation being considered as a form of promotion for physically disabled subjects and a broadly discussed issue, there is still a lack of development in this field [1]-[2]. Many enterprises are currently willing to hire this kind of workers, mainly due to incentive laws, but the offered positions have no structure to fulfill the different needs of each type of physical impairments. This problem becomes even worse in the case of tetraplegic individuals, who, sometimes, are able to move only their head and/or their neck [3], what, reduces even more their chances. Handcraft is the most common type of activity available in such cases, as well as jobs restricted to workshops based of the taylorist model of production. This fact doesn’t allow an adequate manifestation of the individuality and sociability [4]. Furthermore, the work and its environment must be appropriate to the user’s needs, in order to avoid disinterestedness [5]. For professional inclusion, LeBlanc (1982) and Busnell (1999), have developed tools that allow working activities or assist severely impaired individuals to perform their daily life activities. Particularly, a computerized workstation promoted by the French Atomic Energy Comission, the Master WorkStation that helps the tetraplegics from office activities to feeding [6]. Also, it has been developed adapters for the general functions of a photographic camera, allowing the professional inclusion of a 36 year old tetraplegic subjects in Canada [7]. Nevertheless some functions, as film replacement, require extra help. So, we have developed devices that allow the professional inclusion and a social integration. II. METHODOLOGY After conducing a market survey we verified that to some workstations could be adapted to the tetraplegics movements, as the case of a photo studio, an express print shop, and a fast-food shop express cashier. We have gathered the tetraplegics according to their functional expectancy, observing the preserved movements, in order to determine the sensors placement. For the tetraplegics with head, neck and shoulder elevation movements only, we developed a helmet with electromagnetic sensors that allow the activation of a gear system that moves a photographic camera. The helmet can also be used a computer mouse emulator to select icons on the screen in order to perform specific functions depending of the workstation. For the tetraplegics with a greater number of preserved movements, we developed sensors attached to the forearm and elbows. The upper limbs are supported by the table in a neutral position, activating sensors with a slight shoulder external rotation, shoulder elevation, protraction Tetraplegic Professional Inclusion Through Assisting Devices that Allow Access to Workstations Andrea S. Pereira, Alessandro P. da Silva, Terigi A. Scardovelli, Annie France Frère Laboratório de Imagens Médicas (@LADIM), Núcleo de Pesquisas Tecnológicas (NPT), Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes (UMC), Brasil, 08780-280. Fone: +55 114798 7224, Fax: +55 114798 722 0-7803-7789-3/03/$17.00 ©2003 IEEE 1662 EMBC 2003