Wireless control of smartphones with tongue motion using tongue drive assistive technology

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2010:2010:5250-3. doi: 10.1109/IEMBS.2010.5626294.

Abstract

Tongue Drive System (TDS) is a noninvasive, wireless and wearable assistive technology that helps people with severe disabilities control their environments using their tongue motion. TDS translates specific tongue gestures to commands by detecting a small permanent magnetic tracer on the users' tongue. We have linked the TDS to a smartphone (iPhone/iPod Touch) with a customized wireless module, added to the iPhone. We also migrated and ran the TDS sensor signal processing algorithm and graphical user interface on the iPhone in real time. The TDS-iPhone interface was evaluated by four able- bodied subjects for dialing 10-digit phone numbers using the standard telephone keypad and three methods of prompting the numbers: visual, auditory, and cognitive. Preliminary results showed that the interface worked quite reliably at a rate of 15.4 digits per minute, on average, with negligible errors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cell Phone*
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Motion*
  • Radio Waves
  • Self-Help Devices*
  • Software
  • Time Factors
  • Tongue / physiology*
  • User-Computer Interface
  • Wireless Technology / instrumentation*