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

由于脊髓损伤、中风、脑瘫等而严重瘫痪的人通常会发现，如果没有持续的帮助，他们很难完成日常任务。在这项研究中，PI将开发一种新的辅助技术，使严重瘫痪的人能够通过使用便携式计算机或个人数字助理向周围环境传达他们的意图。PI的方法是基于这样一种观察，即舌头和嘴巴在人脑中占据了与手指和手相当的感觉和运动皮层。因此，舌头和嘴巴天生就有能力进行复杂的运动控制和许多自由度的操作任务。舌头通过舌下神经与大脑相连，在脊髓损伤中，舌下神经通常不会受到严重损伤。舌肌与心肌相似，不容易疲劳。此外，舌头不受身体其他部位的位置影响，可以调整以获得最大的使用者舒适度。这些优点，再加上舌头在不穿透皮肤的情况下运动，表明舌头可能被用作与大脑建立非侵入性脑机接口的良好中间连接。PI将在当前项目中探索一种名为舌形驱动系统（TDS）的新设备的可能性。TDS由一组位于口腔内（例如，通过正畸支架连接到牙齿的外表面）或位于口腔外靠近用户脸颊的磁传感器组成（例如，安装在类似于头戴式麦克风的耳机上）。传感器阵列测量一粒米大小的小型永久磁性示踪剂的磁场，该示踪剂通过组织粘合剂、植入、穿刺或夹住的方式附着在舌头上。传感器信号以无线方式传输到外部PC/PDA，在那里处理数据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。然后，这些信息被用来控制PC/PDA屏幕上光标的移动，并执行一个健全的人可以用鼠标计算机输入设备完成的所有其他功能。PC/PDA将有WiFi或蓝牙连接到许多其他设备，包括台式电脑和电动轮椅，在用户的环境。更广泛的影响：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、更自立、更满意、更有成效的生活。瘫痪被认为是最昂贵的残疾之一。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，并允许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.