Wheelchair control wheel

Persons with spinal cord injuries who have paralysis may still be able to control the wheelchair if the tongue is still moving.

Engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have successfully researched the tongue control system, which allows people with paralysis to drive a wheelchair by moving the tongue.

This device, made from waterproof material, is used on the roof of the mouth. Equipped with a circuit board, the device contains four magnetic sensors at each corner, pointing left / right, up / down, interacting with tiny tips on the tongue.

The palatal device helps to convey the wheelchair operating message

The device transmits a wireless signal to an iPhone or iPod that has software installed that interprets the tongue's commands, thereby moving the wheelchair.

The tongue movement allows the user to precisely control the wheelchair, avoiding obstacles easier than wearing a headset as the first tests, according to a Georgia Tech press release.

The system is supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundations.