Tongue control

A new technology developed by engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology could help individuals with severe disabilities lead more independent lives.

The so-called 'Tongue Drive' system, developed by Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, allows individuals with disabilities to direct the movement of a cursor across a computer screen, or a powered wheelchair around a room, simply by moving their tongue.

'We chose the tongue to operate the system because unlike hands and feet, which are controlled by the brain through the spinal cord, the tongue is directly connected to the brain by a cranial nerve that generally escapes damage in severe spinal cord injuries or neuromuscular diseases,' said Ghovanloo, who started working on this project about three years ago at North Carolina State University.

Here's how the system works. First, a small magnet the size of a grain of rice is attached to an individual's tongue by implantation, piercing or adhesive. Movement of the magnet is detected by an array of magnetic field sensors mounted on a headset outside the mouth or on an orthodontic brace inside the mouth. The output from these sensors is then wirelessly transmitted to a portable computer, which can be carried on the user's clothing or wheelchair.