The technology market that is being used today to bring abilities back to the physically disabled is a very competitive market with plenty of needs and room to grow. The one sector that seems to be getting a lot of press lately is that of mobile technologies that help people suffering spinal cord injuries.
Two of the more prevalent wheel chair technologies available are the sip and puff which allows the driver of the wheel chair issue commands based on their inhaling or exhaling of their breath. This method is the most widely used mostly because of the cost of the technology being relatively cheap in comparison to some of the alternatives. For example other techniques which incorporate eye movement are begining to gain favor but is much higher in cost. Another example would be of a technique that uses pads that can measure head and neck muscle movement this is also very popular but has been noted as being a lot of work for the user.
Well a new technology is gaining a lot of popularity lately and I have seen a few articles on it across the web recently. Is the Tongue Drive System, a wheelchair that can be controlled by your tongue movements. The beauty of this project is that it relies on the movement of the tongue which controlled by the brain and in general suffers no ill effects from a spinal cord injury. The team of engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have been getting a lot of press lately for the positive strides they have been making in this new technology.
They have already displayed the usefulness of the Tongue Drive System for wheel chairs but they are looking to go beyond just the wheelchair. They are looking to add abilities likes controlling appliances, computers and communication devices. This is really a great story to be following as their work is really opening doors of endless possibilities to those in need of a technology like this.
Check out the Tongue Drive System in action:
