Put Your Tongue to Work

How would you like to play your favorite game with... your tongue?! It is not as gross or as far fetched as it might initially seem. Researchers at Georgia Tech are working on the Tongue Drive system that uses a magnet placed on the tip of the tongue. In its current form, you wear headgear with sensors around the cheeks that pick up the movement of your tongue. Those sensors then wirelessly send that info to a receiver at the top of the headgear.  The receiver uses its software to decipher and send your tongue movement commands to the computer.

It is the hope of the researchers that this new way to input information can be used in all sorts of everyday applications. Things like controlling a wheelchair or turning the lights on and off could now be done by only the movement of your tongue. Lead researcher Dr. Maysam Ghovanloo wants to one day turn the mouth into a virtual keyboard. The design is currently in its beginning stages but it looks like it shows real promise for those of us that cannot use conventional input devices.

If you would like to read more about the Tongue Drive system you can check out the Georgia Tech Research News web site. Ckick Here There is also a Quick Time video there so you can see how the system works for yourself.