Tongue Device to Aid Mobility
Posted on by Jerry in Disability Aids, Disabled Equipment, Mobility Equipment
Wheelchairs have been around for many years and they have assisted disabled people with mobile transport very effectively. However there are varying degrees of mobility disabilities among the handicapped. Therefore the wheelchair has been modified in different ways during its history in order to meet their needs.
One of the newest enhancements comes to us in the form of a tiny magnet developed by a team from Georgia Institute of Technology. This magnet is used to help those living with mobility disabilities to steer a wheelchair and even operate their computer using only the tip of their tongue. The magnet is as small as a grain of rice and allows people to maneuver their wheelchair around a room. With that same precision they can direct a cursor across a computer screen in order to get tasks done.
How Does It Work?
In order to make all of this possible a headset is worn by the user which detects the magnetic tracer on the tongue. This tracer then transmits the data it receives wirelessly to a portable computer that is small enough to be carried on the user’s clothing or on the wheelchair itself.
The team from Georgia Institute reported on the success of their device in a meeting at the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America in Washington. It stands to reason that this device may have other applications as well in regards to helping those living with a disability enhance their day to day lives.
Such a device can work wonders to help disabled people living independent lives. The Tongue Drive Device as it has been named can function in its duties once it is implanted or pierced to a user’s tongue. Users then operate their wheelchair and compute by moving their tongue. So why was the tongue chosen as the driving force for this invention? Unlike the hands and feet the tongue is not controlled by the brain through the spinal column. Instead it is directly connected to the brain by a cranial nerve that in most cases goes undamaged in severe spinal cord injuries or neuromuscular diseases.
Live Independently
With researchers working diligently to help with the advancement of assistive technology people suffering from disabilities are getting more opportunities to live independently. These technologies help them to interact with their environment in more comfortable ways and also aids in their communication with other people.
