Tongue Drive System to Help Disabled

Image 1: Cruise Bogle participates in a clinical trial of the Tongue Drive system, an assistive technology that enables individuals to maneuver a powered wheelchair or control a mouse cursor using simple tongue movements. For the clinical trial, which took place at the Atlanta-based Shepherd Center, Bogle moved his tongue to direct the Tongue Drive system to move the powered wheelchair around an obstacle course. The clinical trials showed that the Tongue Drive system, which was developed by engineers at Georgia Tech, was intuitive and simple for individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries to use.

Image 2: Cruise Bogle, while participating in a clinical trial for the Tongue Drive system, trains the computer to understand how he will move his tongue to indicate the different commands necessary to operate the powered wheelchair forward, backward, right, left and stop. The Tongue Drive system is an assistive technology that enables individuals to maneuver a powered wheelchair or control a mouse cursor using simple tongue movements.

The clinical trials took place at the Atlanta-based Shepherd Center. Once the computer was ready, Bogle moved his tongue to direct the Tongue Drive system to move the powered wheelchair around an obstacle course. The clinical trials showed that the Tongue Drive system, which was developed by engineers at Georgia Tech, was intuitive and simple for individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries to use.

Image 3: Cruise Bogle, center, poses with the Georgia Tech researchers who developed the Tongue Drive system, an assistive technology that enables individuals to maneuver a powered wheelchair or control a mouse cursor using simple tongue movements. Cruise sticks out his tongue to show the small magnet that allows him to perform these tasks. Cruise participated in clinical trials for the system, which took place at the Atlanta-based Shepherd Center.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation (grant IIS 08-03184) and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. To learn more, see the GA Tech Research News story Tongue Power: Clinical Trial Shows Quadriplegic Individuals Can Operate Powered Wheelchairs and Computers with Tongue Drive System. (Date of Image: June 2009)

Credit: Georgia Tech; photos by Gary Meek

Sensor-equipped AcceleGlove

A staff member from the Institute for Disabilities Research and Training Inc. (IDRT) in Wheaton, Md., demonstrates the AcceleGlove", a low-cost, sensor-equipped gesture recognition system for translating hand and finger motion into information.

The AcceleGlove has a range of applications, including translation of sign language. This could help first responders and health providers communicate with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Military applications are also possible, as the device would allow soldiers to silently communicate through hand signals.

Development of the AcceleGlove was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. [Note: In June 2012, production of the AcceleGlove ended. The sensors embedded in the glove are no longer available from the manufacturer and so production of the AcceleGlove ceased. AcceleGlove was being marketed by AnthroTronix Inc. of Silver Spring, Md.]

(Date of Image: 2009)

Credit: Acceleglove.com

Engineering for Mobility -- Science of the Summer Olympics

Engineering for Mobility

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, elite athletes with disabilities will rely on strength, speed and skill as they go for the gold in 21 different sporting events. Rory Cooper, a biomechanical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh, demonstrates how engineering can help wheelchair athletes maximize their performance in such diverse sports as wheelchair rugby, basketball and racing.

Credit: NBC Learn and National Science Foundation