Anew inventionallows patients with limited mobility to use their facial muscles to control their wheelchairs.
It’s one of a growing number of wheelchair technologies helping people with disabilities.
The control method useselectromyographysensors placed on a patient’stemporalis musclesto move a wheelchair or vehicle.
Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images
When a user clenches their jaw, the wheelchair will respond by moving in the designated direction.
All the patients had impairment of hand function that limited the use of the standard wheelchair joystick control.
The next phase of the work is to improve patient training to learn how to operate the hands-free technology.
University of Central Florida
The training game is operated through the electromyography sensor control in combination with eye-tracking software for hands-free calibration.
University of Central Florida
University of Illinois scientistsrecently announcedthey’d assembled a new throw in of robotic wheelchair.
The PURE wheelchair operates similarly to a Segway, where the rider leans in the desired direction.
The wheelchair rolls on a ball or spherical wheel.
Most robots are rigid and uncomfortable on the human body.
