Tongue Drives Wheelchair Some who suffer from spinal cord injuries are able to control their wheelchairs with joysticks because they still have use their hands. For those who don’t, a new device was displayed at the IEEE International Solid-State Conference that may open up new doors to independence. Engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed the Tongue Drive System, an oral retainer device that allows those afflicted with spinal cord injuries to maneuver electric wheelchairs by moving their tongues. The retainer is made with water-resistant dental acrylic, equipped with a circuitry board and four magnetic field senors on each corner that interact with a tiny magnet attached to the user’s tongue. All in the name of science, participants had to have their tongues pierced for the magnetic stud. Earlier prototypes of the system were attached to headsets, which encountered issues with stability. BLOG: Quadriplegic Hunter Shoots Gun with Mouth Wireless signals from the device communicate with a wheelchair-docked iPhone or iPod with software installed that interprets tongue commands. The movements conveyed are then used to control the power wheelchair. The pain of a tongue piercing may prove to be worth gaining accuracy in maneuverability, during the trials, participants were able to maneuver faster and more precisely, as well as avoid collisions when testing on obstacle courses. The development of this system is currently supported by the National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, and Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. wheelchairindia/Wheelchair/1/POWER-WHEELCHAIR
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 12:56:55 +0000
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