The Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a new technology that could assist people with severe disabilities to take more control of their lives.

The tongue-operated assistive technology, called the tongue drive system, enables a user to operate a computer, control a powered wheelchair and interact with their environment by moving of their tongues.

The technology involves a small magnet, the size of a grain of rice, implanted in the user’s tongue. The implant allows tongue motion to direct the movement of a cursor across a computer screen or a powered wheelchair around a room.

The tongue was chosen to operate the system because the tongue is directly connected to the brain by a cranial nerve that generally escapes damage in severe spinal cord injuries or neuromuscular diseases, unlike hands and feet, which are controlled through the spinal cord.

Movement of the tongue is detected by magnetic field sensors mounted on a headset outside the mouth or on an orthodontic brace inside the mouth. The signals are wirelessly transmitted to a portable computer, which can be carried on the user’s clothing or wheelchair. The user can also train the system to recognise touching each tooth as a different command. X

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