Researchers from Georgia Tech have developed a system that allows quadriplegics to guide wheelchairs using their tongue. The new system, according to the official report finding, gives users better mobility when compared to current assistive technologies. One of the key factors of the system is a magnetic stud, which is pierced through the user’s tongue. The piercing functions like a joystick to control the wheelchair. Quadriplegics have seriously limited options when it comes to self-driven mobility as they are paralysed from the neck down. Of these the sip-and-puff system is the most widely used. One of the first to try out the new Tongue Drive System was Jason DiSantano. DiSantano, quadriplegic since a diving accident in 2009, was reported saying that the technology is “really powerful because it is so intuitive." Sensors in the stud can convey six commands to the user’s headset, which communicates with a smartphone app. The app in turn controls the wheelchair wirelessly. You can see how the new system works in the test run shown below:
The current sip-and-puff system, which is controlled by breathing into a straw, allows for only four commands. In a test run, the Tongue Drive system was found to be faster than the sip-and-puff technology and just as accurate. Researchers have said that the tongue was chosen as it is “unobtrusive, easy to use and flexible” and those with spinal cord injuries often have full motor ability with their tongue, which does not fatigue quickly. The team is currently working towards making the system more subtle by using a dental retainer instead of a headset. The team behind the APK development has estimated that the app could someday be used by others for simple tasks like turning on the lights or switching on the TV. Maysam Ghovanloo, an associate professor at Georgia Tech as well as the principal investigator of the project, formed a startup called Bionic Sciences that is working with Georgia Tech to eventually commercialise the Tongue Drive System. He was reported saying that the system may eventually be available for $6,000 (Rs 3,74,760 approx) to $8,000 (Rs 4, 99,600 approx), which, despite the advantages, is at least thrice the price of a sip-and-puff system.
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