You Can Drive it With Your Tongue!

Research scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new method for allowing deeply physically disabled people to operate wheelchairs and computers. Unveiled at this year's RESNA Conference (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America) and funded by the Dana and Christopher Reeve Foundation, the device works with a tiny magnet implant. The user need only be able to move their tongue.

"This device could revolutionize the field of assistive technologies by helping individuals with severe disabilities, such as those with high-level spinal cord injuries, return to rich, active, independent and productive lives," said Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The likelihood that even a profoundly physically disabled not being able to use their tongue is remote, since the tongue is connected directly to the brain via the cranial nerve, unlike other body parts. The rice-sized implant, placed on the bottom of the tongue, is able to communicate via a magnet field surrounding the head of the user, which is created by a specialized headset that, for the most part, is unobtrusive.

The result: manipulation of a cursor on a computer or controls to a motorized wheelchair.

The tool will not work out of the box, it has to be trained by the user, and it can potentially record virtually unlimited movements of the tongue. Testing continues, currently with able-bodied testers, but will soon move into testing with typical users. One of the huge advances this research has made is the fact that the device does not require any kind of surgery or forced implatation; the magnet can be attached to the tongue with temporary glue or a patch, making it completely non-invasive.

Future developments will include a completely invisible orthodontic device to create the magnetic field, rather than the headset. Software is being developed help the device work with existing communication software, like text generators and speech synthesizers, and electronic readers.