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Tiny Tongue Magnet Allows Control of Devices

By admin | August 6, 2008

Engineers at Georgia Tech have developed a tongue-operated assistive device that can control a powered wheelchair and instructions to a computer.

Said lead researcher Maysam Ghovanloo, “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.”

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Ghovanloo, working with graduate student Xueliang Hoo, chose the tongue to operate the system because tongue movement is spared even in high-spinal cord injuries.

The magnetic tracer, the size of a grain of rice, is attached to the tongue by an adhesive or piercing. Movement of the tracer is detected by an array of sensors placed in a headset or by an orthodontic brace placed in the oral cavity. The sensors then send signals to a portable computer which can be attached to the patient or the wheelchair. The computer can be programed to make the large number of tongue movements patient-specific.

To date, the system has been tested by able-bodied patients with a response time of less than one second for each command with an almost 100% accuracy. Ghovanloo and his team are now collaborating with Atlanta-based Shepherd Center and the Georgia Tech Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access to test the device in people with severe disabilities.

Research and development on this device was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. A manuscript describing this work will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Rehabilition Research and Development.

Copyright 2008 Medgizmo.com

Topics: Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injuries |

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