Control your wheelchair with ... tongue

US specialists are testing a tongue that allows the paralyzed to drive wheelchairs in all directions.

Wearing a tongue is a behavior that parents never want their children to do. However, the case of Martin Mireles, 37, is completely different. Mireles, paralyzed after being hit in the neck nearly 20 years ago, is one of about 200 people involved in a special project at the University of the Northwest (USA) to study new moves for the victims. suffer severe consequences from spinal injury. Experts have attached a tip through Mireles' tongue and noted how he manages the wheelchair by shaking his tongue. The tongue moves in the direction the car rolls in that direction, according to The New York Times .

Mireles is taking part in a trial - Photo: NYT.

Bloating or paralysis of the body is a condition that can happen to anyone who is unlucky, from spinal injuries to stroke and cerebral palsy. In the United States alone, about 250,000 people suffer from this condition, and an estimated 10,000 more cases are reported each year. Using wheelchairs is an effective way for people with paralysis, and they can choose from a number of control methods, such as 'sip and blow' in the same way that Christopher Reeve with superhero) before his death in 2004. Accordingly, he blows on a straw to make the wheelchair move back and forth.

Recognizing the inconvenience of these methods, Assistant Professor Maysam Ghovanloo of the Georgia Institute of Technology has studied and found a far better alternative. To control this system, users wear a headset equipped with sensors to receive magnetic signals from the tongue. For example, moving the tongue to the upper left corner of the mouth, the car moves forward. Experts hope that in the future, the action that touches the tongue on each tooth will transmit different commands, from turning on the TV, answering the phone to opening the door. Mr Ghovanloo decided to use the tongue to control the joint because it was rarely fatigued, as was often not affected by spinal injuries. This project has received nearly $ 1 million in emergency funding from the United States.