Tongue Controlled Devices
May. 4th, 2011 12:09 pmMy attention was drawn to tongue controlled devices by a story on Slashdot- Robotic "Tongue" Lets You French Kiss Over The Internet. The device was created at The University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo [1] and has a "motion-sensing receptacle that records your tongue's movements and then sends that information to a corresponding machine in your partner's mouth."
From searching, I found there are more serious applications of tongue controlled devices, such as ones created by groups at Aalborg University in Denmark and at Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S.:
A group at Aalborg University in Denmark created a device [2] that allows users to type using the tongue. An activation unit is placed on the tongue itself, and a device with a key area and a mouse-pad area is put in the mouth and can be attached to the teeth. The user can then type by moving the tongue to the key area and the mouse-pad area.
At Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S., the tongue drive system [3] has been created, which allows users to control devices using their tongue. A magnetic tracer is attached to the user's tongue and tongue movements are then translated into user-defined commands to control devices, such as a wheelchair. The tongue drive system was shown to allow users to perform complex tasks in a wheelchair, such as navigating through an obstacle course.
References:
1. Diginfonews (2011, May 1). Kiss Transmission Device #DigInfo. YouTube. Retrieved May 4, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PspagsTFvlg&feature=player_embedded
2. Andreasen Struijk, L.N.S., Lontis, E.R., Bentsen, B., Christensen, H.V., Caltenco, H.A., & Lund, M.E. (2009). Fully integrated wireless inductive tongue computer interface for disabled people. Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2009. EMBC 2009. Annual International Conference of the IEEE, vol., no., pp.547-550, 3-6 Sept. 2009.
3. Xueliang Huo & Maysam Ghovanloo. (2010). Evaluation of a wireless wearable tongue–computer interface by individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries. Journal of Neural Engineering. 7 026008.
From searching, I found there are more serious applications of tongue controlled devices, such as ones created by groups at Aalborg University in Denmark and at Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S.:
A group at Aalborg University in Denmark created a device [2] that allows users to type using the tongue. An activation unit is placed on the tongue itself, and a device with a key area and a mouse-pad area is put in the mouth and can be attached to the teeth. The user can then type by moving the tongue to the key area and the mouse-pad area.
At Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S., the tongue drive system [3] has been created, which allows users to control devices using their tongue. A magnetic tracer is attached to the user's tongue and tongue movements are then translated into user-defined commands to control devices, such as a wheelchair. The tongue drive system was shown to allow users to perform complex tasks in a wheelchair, such as navigating through an obstacle course.
References:
1. Diginfonews (2011, May 1). Kiss Transmission Device #DigInfo. YouTube. Retrieved May 4, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PspagsTFvlg&feature=player_embedded
2. Andreasen Struijk, L.N.S., Lontis, E.R., Bentsen, B., Christensen, H.V., Caltenco, H.A., & Lund, M.E. (2009). Fully integrated wireless inductive tongue computer interface for disabled people. Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2009. EMBC 2009. Annual International Conference of the IEEE, vol., no., pp.547-550, 3-6 Sept. 2009.
3. Xueliang Huo & Maysam Ghovanloo. (2010). Evaluation of a wireless wearable tongue–computer interface by individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries. Journal of Neural Engineering. 7 026008.
