A new type of wheelchair remote control device is being prototyped, that allows those with severe spinal chord injuries to manoeuvre their wheelchair vehicles using their tongues.
The wheelchair user wears a small dental retainer which features control sensors, which can then be controlled by a small magnet on the user’s tongue.
This new system called the intraoral Tongue Drive System received a demonstration at the IEEE International Solid State Circuits Conference in San Francisco recently.
Earlier models of the device saw users still use a magnet on the tongue, but the sensors were located on a headset. This caused problems, as if the headset shifted position, it has to be re-calibrated.
The current prototype sends the user’s commands to an iPod that interprets the movements and feeds the information to an interface on the electric wheelchair and moves it where the user wants to go.
The device will be tested on able bodied users before starting clinical trials on those with spinal injuries.
Whilst still in the early stages, this is great news for those with severe spinal injuries who would like more control of their electric wheelchairs.