WASHINGTON(Reuters) – A new device that uses a tiny magnet can help disabledpeople steer a wheelchair or operate a computer using only the tip ofthe tongue, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
The magnet, the size of a grain of rice, lets people direct themovement of a cursor across a computer screen or a powered wheelchairaround a room.
It is easily implanted under the tongue, the team at the Georgia Institute of Technology said.
"We chose the tongue to operate the system because unlike hands andfeet, which are controlled by the brain through the spinal cord, thetongue is directly connected to the brain by a cranial nerve thatgenerally escapes damage in severe spinal cord injuries orneuromuscular diseases," said Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professorwho helped direct the work.
"Tongue movements are also fast, accurate and do not require much thinking, concentration or effort."
A headset with magnetic field sensors detects the magnetic tracer onthe tongue and transmits wireless signals to a portable computer, whichcan be carried on the user’s clothing or wheelchair.
"This device could revolutionize the field of assistive technologiesby helping individuals with severe disabilities, such as those withhigh-level spinal cord injuries, return to rich, active, independentand productive lives," Ghovanloo said in a statement.
The team reported on their device to a meeting of the RehabilitationEngineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America inWashington.
The researchers said the computer could be programmed to recognize aunique set of specific tongue movements for each user. "An individualcould potentially train our system to recognize touching each tooth asa different command," Ghovanloo said.
The researchers tested the Tongue Drive system on 12 able-bodiedvolunteers and now plan to test it on people with severe disabilities,Ghovanloo said.
(Reporting by Maggie Fox)
? Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
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