Alpha Centauri 2

Community => Recreation Commons => Our researchers have made a breakthrough! => Topic started by: Buster's Uncle on November 29, 2013, 07:25:02 pm

Title: Tongue Drive wheelchair proves quicker than traditional breath controls
Post by: Buster's Uncle on November 29, 2013, 07:25:02 pm

Georgia Tech's Tongue Drive wheelchair proves quicker than traditional breath controls
BY Jon Fingas  14 hours ago  11   


(http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/adam/7c65abf91f1b4fefaf9d388d0ffbac98/georgia-tech-tongue-wheelchair.jpg)
Georgia Tech tongue-controlled wheelchair



Georgia Tech researchers believed that tongue-controlled devices could help the disabled, and now they have solid proof. A new study shows that the school's wearable Tongue Drive System lets the paralyzed control wheelchairs three times faster than they would using an ordinary breath-based approach. The speediness is due to TDS' intuitive design, Georgia Tech says -- wearers use a magnetic piercing in their tongue as a joystick, which is both faster and more logical than puffing into a straw. It's subtler, too, as wearers don't block their faces with as much equipment. Trials have so far been limited to hospitals and labs, but the findings pave the way for real-world tests. Eventually, Georgia Tech hopes for widespread use that improves tetraplegics' mobility -- and gives them more control over their lives.


Georgia Tech Tongue Drive System (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZHBNYd-eWs#ws)


http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/29/georgia-tech-tongue-driven-wheelchair/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi (http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/29/georgia-tech-tongue-driven-wheelchair/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi)