Assistive technology called the tongue drive and developed by engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology could help individuals with severe disabilities lead more independent lives. Users need only be able to move their tongues to operate the device.

Attaching a magnet the size of a grain of rice to an individual's tongue by implantation, piercing, or tissue adhesive lets tongue motion direct the movement of a cursor across a computer screen or guide a powered wheelchair around a room. The system lets those with disabilities operate computers, control powered wheelchairs, and interact with their environments.

Movement of the magnetic tracer attached to the tongue is detected by an array of magnetic-field sensors mounted on a headset outside the mouth or on an orthodontic brace inside the mouth. Sensor-output signals are wirelessly transmitted to a portable computer, which can be carried on the user's clothing or wheelchair. The sensor-output signals are processed to determine the relative motion of the magnet with respect to the array of sensors in real-time. This information is then used to control the movements of a cursor on the computer screen or to substitute for the joystick function in a powered wheelchair.

Maysam Ghovanloo, assistant professor at the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, developed the system with graduate student Xueliang Huo.

In the accompanying photo, Ghovanloo (left) points to a small magnet attached to Huo's tongue that lets him operate a computer mouse and powered wheelchair. Video also is available at: http://gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/movies/tongue-drive.mov (Maysam Ghovanloo describing the Tongue Drive system) and http://www.gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/movies/wheelchair.mov (Xueliang Huo demonstrating the use of the system to operate a powered wheelchair)]