Control Devices With Your Tongue
Category: Input DevicesPosted: August 25, 2008 10:01AM
Author: ClayMeow
Input devices have evolved greatly over the years, from keyboards to joysticks to mice...even to devices controlled by eye movements or your mind. So it goes without saying that the next evolution in input devices would come in the form of...your tongue. This isn't to control an on-screen avatar or aim your gun in games though, but instead to provide a new way for disabled people to control key components of their every day lives, such as maneuvering a wheelchair or turning on a light. The aim of the device, dubbed the Tongue Drive System, is to transform the mouth into a virtual computer; the teeth become the keyboard, and the tongue manipulates it all as a joystick of sorts. Why the tongue? One of the main reasons is because the tongue and its functionality is often spared in paralyzing accidents, as the tongue is attached to the brain and not the spinal cord. In addition, the tongue is flexible, sensitive and tireless, making it an ideal instrument for more complicated actions and prolonged use. The system uses a small magnet placed under the tip of the tongue, and the movement is tracked by sensors on the side of each cheek, which then sends data to a receiver atop a headgear. Software then converts those signals into commands for various devices, like a wheelchair. The device is still in its infancy, but it's already promising to researchers, as well as testers.
