TONGUE DRIVE: A TONGUE OPERATED MAGNETIC SENSOR BASED ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR PEOPLE WITH SEVERE DISABILITIES

由于脊髓损伤、中风、脑瘫等导致严重瘫痪的人通常会发现，如果没有持续的帮助，执行日常任务是极其困难的。在这项研究中，PI将开发一种新的辅助技术，使严重瘫痪的个人能够通过访问便携式计算机或个人数字助理来向他们的环境传达他们的意图。PI的方法是基于观察到舌头和嘴巴在人脑中占据的感觉和运动皮质的数量与手指和手相当。因此，舌头和嘴巴天生就能够完成复杂的多自由度运动控制和操作任务。舌头通过舌下神经与大脑相连，在脊髓损伤中，舌下神经通常能躲避严重的损伤。舌肌与心脏肌肉相似，因为它不容易疲劳。此外，舌头不受身体其余部分位置的影响，可以进行调整，以实现最大的使用者舒适性。这些优势，再加上舌头的运动不会穿透皮肤，表明舌头可能被用作连接大脑的极好的中间连接，以建立一个非侵入性的脑机接口。PI将在目前的项目中探索这种可能性，该项目将在一种名为舌头驱动系统(TDS)的新设备的背景下进行。TDS由位于口腔内部(例如，通过正畸支具连接到牙齿外表面)或靠近使用者脸颊的口腔外部(例如，安装在类似于头戴式麦克风的耳机上)的磁性传感器阵列组成。传感器阵列测量一个小型永磁体的磁场，即一粒大米的大小，它通过组织粘合剂、植入、穿孔或剪裁的方式附着在舌头上。传感器信号被无线传输到外部PC/PDA，在那里数据被处理以实时确定磁铁相对于传感器阵列的坐标、方向和相对运动。这些信息随后被用来控制PC/PDA屏幕上光标的移动，并执行身体健全的人可以使用鼠标计算机输入设备执行的所有其他功能。PC/PDA将与用户环境中的许多其他设备连接WiFi或蓝牙，包括台式电脑和电动轮椅。广泛影响：这项研究将帮助最严重的残疾人，特别是四肢瘫痪的人，过上更积极、自我支持、满足和富有成效的生活。瘫痪被认为是最昂贵的残疾类型之一。TDS等解决方案将有助于降低医疗保健和辅助生活成本，提高残疾人的就业能力，并让用户更充分地参与社会，同时减轻家庭成员和照顾者的负担。

Individuals who are severely paralyzed as a result of spinal cord injuries, stroke, cerebral palsy, etc generally find it extremely difficult to carry out everyday tasks without continuous help. In this research, the PI will develop a new assistive technology to enable individuals who are severely paralyzed to convey their intentions to their environment by accessing a portable computer or personal digital assistant. The PI's approach is based on the observation that the tongue and mouth occupy an amount of sensory and motor cortex in the human brain rivaling that of the fingers and the hand. As a consequence, the tongue and mouth are inherently capable of sophisticated motor control and manipulation tasks with many degrees of freedom. The tongue is connected to the brain via the hypoglossal nerve, which generally escapes severe damage in spinal cord injuries. Tongue muscle is similar to heart muscle, in that it does not fatigue easily. Furthermore, the tongue is not influenced by the position of the rest of the body, which can be adjusted for maximum user comfort. These advantages, coupled with the accessibility of tongue movements without penetrating the skin, suggest that the tongue might be employed as an excellent intermediate connection to the brain to establish a noninvasive brain-computer interface. The PI will explore this possibility in the current project within the context of a new device called the Tongue Drive System (TDS). TDS consists of an array of magnetic sensors located either inside the mouth (e.g., attached to the outer surfaces of the teeth via an orthodontic brace) or outside of it near the user's cheeks (e.g., mounted on a headset similar to head-worn microphones). The sensor array measures the magnetic field of a small permanent magnetic tracer, the size of a grain of rice, which is attached to the tongue by means of tissue adhesives, implantation, piercing, or clipping. Sensor signals are transmitted wirelessly to the external PC/PDA, where the data are processed to determine in real time the coordinates, orientation, and relative motion of the magnet with respect to the array of sensors. This information is then used to control the movements of a cursor on the PC/PDA screen and to perform all other functions that an able-bodied individual can do with a mouse computer input device. The PC/PDA will have WiFi or Bluetooth connections to a number of other devices, including a desktop computer and powered wheelchair, in the user's environment.Broader Impacts: This research will help the most severely disabled individuals, particularlyquadriplegics, to lead more active, self-supportive, satisfying, and productive lives. Paralysis is considered to be one of the most expensive types of disabilities. Solutions such as the TDS will help reduce healthcare and assisted-living costs, increase the employability of people with disabilities, and allow users to participate more fully in society while relieving the burden on family members and caregivers.