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Tongue Control System
Foto:
Tor Løkken |
Introduction
People with
movement disabilities because of spinal cord injury, brain injury or other
impairments of the motor system are greatly affected in their everyday life, in
many cases to the extent that everyday life is impossible without continuous
help. Any increase of self-supportiveness, maybe even to the ability of
possessing a job, is crucial to improve the quality of life for these disabled
individuals.
Since the early 1960s research into the use of
biomedical engineering solutions in rehabilitation of spinal cord injured
persons has opened a range of encouraging methods and devices. However, despite
the large amount of money and time spent on the development of systems for the
restoration of lost motor function, very few systems have been successful
outside the research environment. One reason for the systems to be unsuccessful
outside the laboratories is lack of convenient user control. The control must
be easy to activate and, which is often neglected: cosmetically acceptable
– the last thing a disabled person wants, is to look even more different
from an intact person. Other areas where controllers are a key issue for
disabled persons is within control of wheel chairs and
computers. With the modern internet and communication technology, jobs,
sociability and even health care is no longer linked to the physical presence
of the persons involved, but the internet has become a virtual world in which
only the computer access limits the individual contribution. Here completely
paralysed persons whom have lost even the ability to speak and for whom the only way of real communication is through a
computer could even posses jobs, and thereby highly improve their quality of
life, as long as they have an effective computer control. With the increased
computerisation of everyday equipment, such as automatic doors, toys, kitchen
hardware, telephones, TVs, several everyday tasks can be automated. This
automation is potentially invaluable for increasing independence and life
quality for disabled children and adults. This project aims towards an
effective tongue based control method to access these devices.
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Objectives
The
objective of the study is:
A Direct
Tongue Control method to become a basis for control of rehabilitation systems,
computers and for the use of new communication (Bluetooth) and Internet
technology in rehabilitation.
The
research will address the following topics
1: How to obtain
a direct control method
2: How to
obtain a selective control method
3: How to
make the control method independent of the users
normal activities.
4: How to make the control method
all round, so that several elements can be controlled
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Time Schedule
2003
(4 months)
- Development of experimental
methods to study tongue mobility and selectivity
2004
- Development of experimental
methods to study tongue mobility and selectivity
- Experiments on intact and disabled
to study selectivity
2005
- Work on method to interface the
tongue
- Experimental work on tongue
interface on Humans (and Animals)
- Signal processing methods for
enhancement of selectivity
2006
- Translation and interpretation
methods of the interface output
- Experimental tests on humans of
the tongue interface
2007
- Development of wireless
communication
- Design of tongue implant
- System tests
2008
- Design of mouse area
- Design of keyboard area
- Prepare for User tests
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State
of the work
2003
Development of
experimental methods to study tongue mobility and selectivity
Two methods
are being considered
1: Placing
sensors across the palate and evaluate intact peoples ability to select the
sensors by scores of time and exactness. The number of sensors will be varied
and different tasks performed. The effect of feedback (e.g. visual) will be
explored. The effect of training will be studied by evaluating the increase of
score.
2: Trans cranial magnetic stimulation will be applied in
relation to tongue selectivity training to evaluate the effect of selectivity
training by assessing brain plasticity and a possible increase in cortical
mapping of the tongue. Possible methods to predict individual learning
potential related to tongue selectivity based on these studies will be
considered.
Pilot experiments
Simple
pilot experiments have been performed to study the feasibility of the chosen sensors,
with regard to dimensions and acceptable safety requirements for human
applications. The results have been encouraging, and research on configuration
of the sensors will be continued.
2004
Sensors
have been further developed and methods to place the sensors in the palate have
been studied. First trial on placing the sensors in a dental palate and the
first human experiment has been performed successfully, posing a number of
questions to be answered.
2005
· Experiments have been performed in humans on specific applications with promising results. New experiments regarding the ability of the tongue to control multiple numbers of sensors are being planned
2006
·
Human experiments have been performed on 7
healthy volunteers and 13 more are to be performed. Two experiments were pilot
experiments. The experiments concerned the users
ability to learn to find and activate the sensors placed on the palatal plate
of the user. Experiments have been performed with 9 sensors. More experiments
are being performed with 9 and 16 sensors. Some of the results are described
in: Struijk LNSA “A tongue-computer interface for disabled people”, in press Int J Disabil Hum Dev 5(3), 2006
·
An international patent application has been made.
·
A spin off
company, TKS A/S has been established
2007
· A User board has been established for user driven development of prototype 2 of the tongue control system
· Test of PCB inductors have been performed in health subjects
2008
· A mouse function has been implemented
· A keyboard area has been implemented
· Test of the layout of the keyboard and mouse areas have been performed
· Small sized wire less technology have been implemented
· The activation unit has been implemented
· EU- patent application approved: WO 2006/105797 A2, 2006
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Collaboration
Peter Svensson, Professor, Department of Clinical Oral
physiology,
Collaboration has included dental materials and will include studies of plasticity of corticomotor control of the human tongue related to tongue task training and considerations regards dental retainers and dental materials.
Bo Bentsen, Ph.
D., Dentist, at the clinic Andersen&Bentsen,
Henrik Schiøler,
Associate Professor, CISS,
Mike Grey, Research Associate Professor, SMI, Aalborg University - will be involved in collaboration related to neural plasticity studies.
Omar Feix do Nascimento,
Assistant Professor at SMI,
Shellie Boudreau, PhD student SMI, Aalborg Univeristy
Henrik Vie christensen, PhD student CISS, Aalborg University
Sahva A/S
Permobil
RYK
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Publications
2006: The “Tongue
Control Project”, has resulted in a patent application: “Tongue based control method and system for
performing the method”. International Patent application WO
2006/105797 A2, 2006
The inventor is: Lotte N. S. Andreasen Struijk, the applicant/owner is TKS A/S.
2006: Struijk LNSA “An
Inductive Tongue Computer Interface for Control Of Computers and assistive
Devices” IEEE
Trans. Biomed. Eng 53 (12) pp 2594 Dec. 2006
2006: Struijk
LNSA “A
tongue-computer interface for disabled people”, in press Int J Disabil Hum Dev 5(3), 2006
2006: Struijk LNSA “A
tongue based control for disabled people”, the 10th International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs,
2006: Struijk LNSA “A tongue-computer interface for disabled people”, proceedings of
the conference: ICDVRAT 2006,
2006-…: More recent publications
Spinn Off
2006: The Project has resulted in the establishment
of the company: TKS A/S. The company
is established by SAHVA Innovation A/S, NOVI Innovation A/S og
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Funding
This work is kindly made possible by
grants from:
2002: the Danish
Technical Research Council: 3 year “Talent Project”
2003: the Det Obelske Familiefond: for laboratory equipment
2003: the Faculty of Engineering
and Science
2006: TKS A/S
2007: the Danish
Technical Research Council: 3 year “PhD Project”
2007: Sahva A/S Industrial PhD, 3 yeas
2007: TKS A/S
2008: TKS A/S
2008: the Danish
Technical Research Council, Center for health
technology, CSDR, Permobil, Åbentoft,
TKS A/S
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Contact
Project responsible:
Associate Professor
Lotte N.S. Andreasen Struijk, Ph.D.
Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction
Dpt. of Health Science and Technology
Aalborg University
Fredrik Bajersvej 7D
DK-9220 Aalborg Ø
Email:
Phone:
+45 9940 7457 (direct)
+45 9940 8080 (switchb.)
Fax:
+45 9940 4008
www: http://www.smi.auc.dk/~naja
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P.R.
2003: Press
release from the Danish
Technical Research Council
2003, 11
September: Press release from
the Det Obelske Familiefond
2003, 29 September: Radio:
Nordjyllands
Radio in “Mere mellem ørerne”
2004,
March: Annual
report of Annual report of
the Danish Technical Research Council
2004,
June: Article
in the local
2006,
April: Article
in the local
2006,
April: Article
in the Academic Since Journal “Aktuel
Naturidenskab”
2006,
March: Article
in the News paper “Information”
2006, May: Article
on the website of the public Danish
Radio/TV: DR
2006, June Article in the Dansih News paper Nordjyske Stiftstidende”:
Oralt tastatur under udvikling på AAU
2006, June Article in the Danish news paper ”Ekstra Bladet”: Forsker
ved AAU tæt på gennembrud
2006,
September Article
in the Danish engineering News paper “Ingeniøren”:
“Lammede får styrepind i munden”
2006,
Sep.:
Article in
the journal of the danish
interest organisation for spinal cord injured: “RYK” page 29: ”Tungestyring”
2006,
Sep.:
Article on
the website of Kvinfo: Forum: “Et tungeklik
fra livet ”
2006, Dec.: Small Article in Illustreret Videnskab “Tastatur sidder i ganen”
2007, Feb.: Article in Sundhed - Teknologi – Informatik: Forskning bliver
til forretning!
2007, Apr : Article in Liftoff : the Innovation
& Venture Magazine: Tastatur i ganen
2007, Apr : Article in the news paper Politiken:
1,4 mio. kr. til
Lotte Andreasen
2007, Apr : Article in the news paper Nordjyske Stiftstidende: ”Solid
støtte til nordljyske forskere”
2007, Maj : Article in the newspaper Berlingske Tidende: ”Støtte
til handicappede”
2007, Juni: Article
in the journal of the danish
interest organisation for spinal cord injured: “RYK” nr. 2, 2007, side
26: ”Tungen til hjælp”
2007 -…. More recent PR
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Video Clip
2009, Sep. Article
and video clip on the web site of the
news paper: ”Ingeniøren”’
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Last revised: 13th
Nov. 2008 on behalf of Steffen