OnCue, an adaptive keyboard for people living with Parkinson’s Disease.

Over het initiatief / About the initiative

In welke fase zit jouw initiatief? / In what stage is your initiative?

Startupfase

Heb je jouw initiatief al gevalideerd? / Did you validate your initiative?

OnCue has been validated through multiple functional prototypes and testing sessions with individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Feedback confirmed the relevance and potential of the product. The next round of structured usability testing is scheduled for September 2025 with occupational therapists and users in both the Netherlands and Italy.

Meer informatie over jouw initiatief / More info about your initiative

This project supports people living with Parkinson’s Disease, a progressive neurological disorder that affects an estimated 12 million individuals worldwide. They often face significant challenges with sequential movements and experience delayed reactions due to bradykinesia—a symptom that slows movement and impairs fine motor control. Combined with tremors, these difficulties make using a physical keyboard frustrating and, for many, a reason to avoid digital tasks altogether.

OnCue is the result of my Master’s thesis in Integrated Product Design at TU Delft, conducted in collaboration with ParkinsonNL, which seeks to raise awareness of the challenges people with Parkinson’s Disease face in keyboard interaction and to promote the integration of cueing techniques—external cues that support the initiation and execution of movements.

Unlike conventional keyboards, OnCue is specifically designed to support users with motor symptoms such as tremors and bradykinesia. It combines ergonomic design with sensory feedback to enhance both usability and confidence. The keyboard features a compact, split layout that encourages natural hand posture and accommodates reduced mobility. An ortholinear key arrangement minimizes finger fatigue, while raised-edge keycaps guide finger placement and reduce accidental presses. Additionally, the four most commonly used shortcuts (copy, paste, cut, and undo) are integrated directly into the hardware to simplify interaction.

What truly sets OnCue apart is its incorporation of haptic and visual feedback. Subtle vibrations in both the keys and wearable cuffs help users maintain typing rhythm and compensate for reduced tactile sensitivity. Simultaneously, an AI-powered lighting system provides real-time visual guidance by highlighting suggested next letters—promoting smoother typing, reducing errors and freezing episodes.

Recognizing that Parkinson’s symptoms vary throughout the day, OnCue offers a high level of customization. Users can adjust vibration intensity via physical controls and fine-tune other settings through software, tailoring the experience to their evolving needs. This flexibility makes OnCue a truly adaptive, human-centered solution in the assistive technology landscape.

Wat is er anders/nieuw aan jouw idee/oplossing t.o.v. bestaande oplossingen? / What is different/new about your idea/solution compared to existing solutions??

OnCue introduces an entirely new category of assistive technology by integrating cueing techniques (haptic and visual feedback) into a digital input device specifically designed for people living with Parkinson’s Disease. While cueing is a well-established method in mobility aids (e.g., for walking), it has never been applied to computer interaction. OnCue is the first to bring this powerful approach into the digital realm, embedding sensory feedback into a modular, ergonomic keyboard system.

Compared to existing solutions, OnCue stands out for addressing the full complexity of Parkinson’s symptoms. Unlike assistive keyboards that target a single motor limitation, OnCue is tailored for the fluctuating combination of tremors, bradykinesia, and rigidity. It also differs from cueing devices focused on gross motor movement, gaming keyboards designed for speed without therapeutic value, and clinical treatments that are invasive or unreliable due to “off” periods. Even speech-to-text software, while helpful for some, can be cognitively demanding, socially awkward in professional contexts, and ineffective for users with speech impairments.

Beyond Parkinson’s, OnCue’s modular and scalable system holds promise for supporting individuals with related motor or cognitive conditions—such as Alzheimer’s, MSA, dystonia, or low vision—and can be adapted to other precision-based tools like adaptive remotes, medical devices, and control panels.

Wat zijn jouw volgende stappen om het verder te ontwikkelen? / What are your next steps to develop the initiative?

The next phase of development consists in refining the electronics through the creation of a custom PCB and completing the full-size, functional prototype. This will be followed by a one-month structured usability testing phase of 10 prototypes in real-world environments, in collaboration with occupational therapists and people living with Parkinson’s in both the Netherlands and Italy. In parallel, a basic version of the customization software will be developed, and preparations for CE certification will begin. These steps will pave the way for a pilot launch in partnership with clinical institutions.

Wat heb je nodig om (nog meer) impact te maken met dit initiatief? / What do you need to make (more) impact with this initiative?

To bring the project to the next stage, financial support is needed to refine the prototypes and conduct structured testing that will generate qualitative data. Strategic partnerships with clinical institutions and Parkinson’s associations—some of which are already in place—are essential to ensure clinical relevance and effectively reach the people who can benefit most from the solution.