Individuals with severe disabilities could lead more independent lives with the help of an assistive technology developed by engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

To operate the Tongue Drive system, potential users only need to be able to move their tongues.

Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professor at the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who helped develop the device, explained: “We chose the tongue to operate the system because unlike hands and feet, which are controlled by the brain through the spinal cord, the tongue is directly connected to the brain by a cranial nerve that generally escapes damage in severe spinal cord injuries or neuromuscular diseases.

“Tongue movements are also fast, accurate and do not require much thinking, concentration or effort.”

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