8 months ago
WASHINGTON, DC (CNN/WUSA)-- For people with severe spinal cord injuries, maneuvering a wheelchair can be difficult, sometimes impossible. Engineers are working on a new power chair that could make it easier for these patients to get around.
Cruise Bogle can't use his arms or legs. Diagnosed as a quadriplegic after a skim boarding accident two years ago, he's confined to a wheelchair, and the extent of his injuries make it difficult for him to get around.
Since he joined a clinical trial at Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cruise can now control his wheelchair by using his tongue.
Known as the tongue drive system, participants are first taught to exercise their tongue movements by using computer games. Once they master the movements, researchers attach a small magnet to the tongue.
The magnet works like a mouse pad with the tongue as a cursor. Move the tongue forward and it sends a wireless signal to six sensors in a headset that cause the wheelchair to move forward. Move the tongue backwards, and the wheelchair goes into reverse.
Lead engineer Maysam Ghovanloo explains, "One of the major advantages of the tongue is that it is directly connected to the brain, so a person can move his or her tongue without any problem."
Unlike other power wheelchairs that rely on a sip and puff method, such as the one used by the late Christopher Reeve, this chair only needs a headset and tongue chip, which is less conspicuous for the user.
Researchers are conducting ongoing clinical trials and hope to expand the tongue concept to provide individuals with tools where they could use their teeth.
The teeth concept would work by assigning a person's teeth to specific commands or letters, allowing people to type with their tongue to various teeth. Researchers the idea is to utilize the movable parts of the mouth into a virtual keyboard.
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