{"257661":{"#nid":"257661","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Clinical Trial Shows Tongue-Controlled Wheelchair Outperforms Popular Wheelchair Navigation System","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAfter a diving accident left Jason DiSanto paralyzed from the neck down in 2009, he had to learn how to navigate life from a powered wheelchair, which he controls with a sip-and-puff system. Users sip or puff air into a straw mounted on their wheelchair to execute four basic commands that drive the chair. But results from a new clinical study offer hope that sip-and-puff users like DiSanto could gain a higher level of independence than offered by this common assistive technology.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the study, individuals with paralysis were able to use a tongue-controlled technology to access computers and execute commands for their wheelchairs at speeds that were significantly faster than those recorded in sip-and-puff wheelchairs, but with equal accuracy. This study is the first to show that the wireless and wearable Tongue Drive System outperforms sip-and-puff in controlling wheelchairs. Sip-and-puff is the most popular assistive technology for controlling a wheelchair.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Tongue Drive System is controlled by the position of the user\u2019s tongue. A magnetic tongue stud lets them use their tongue as a joystick to drive the wheelchair. Sensors in the tongue stud relay the tongue\u2019s position to a headset, which then executes up to six commands based on the tongue position.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Tongue Drive System holds promise for patients who have lost the use of their arms and legs, a condition known as tetraplegia or quadriplegia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s really easy to understand what the Tongue Drive System can do and what it is good for,\u201d said Maysam Ghovanloo, an associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a study co-author and principal investigator. \u201cNow, we have solid proof that people with disabilities can potentially benefit from it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study was published on Nov. 27 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EScience Translational Medicine\u003C\/em\u003E. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the National Science Foundation funded the research. Scientists from Shepherd Center in Atlanta, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago were also involved in the study. Jeonghee Kim and Hangue Park, who are working on the Tongue Drive System as graduate students at Georgia Tech, are co-authors of the study.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Tongue Drive System is a novel technology that empowers people with disability to achieve maximum independence at home and in the community by enabling them to drive a power wheelchair and control their environment in a smoother and more intuitive way,\u201d said\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENorthwestern co-lead investigator Elliot Roth, M.D, chair of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Feinberg and the medical director of the patient recovery unit at Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. \u201cThe opportunity to use this high-tech innovation to improve the quality of life among people with mobility limitations is very exciting.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research team had subjects complete a set of tasks commonly used in similar clinical trials. Subjects in the trials were either able-bodied or people with tetraplegia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBy the end of the trials, everybody preferred the Tongue Drive System over their current assistive technology,\u201d said Joy Bruce, manager of Shepherd Center\u2019s Spinal Cord Injury Lab and co-author of the study. \u201cIt allows them to engage their environment in a way that is otherwise not possible for them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers compared how able-bodied subjects were able to execute commands either with the Tongue Drive System or with a keypad and mouse. For example, targets randomly appeared on a computer screen and the subjects had to move the cursor to click on the target. Scientists are able to calculate how much information is transferred from a person\u2019s brain to the computer as they perform a point-and-click task. The performance gap narrowed throughout the trial between the keypad and mouse and the Tongue Drive System.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the first time, the research team showed that people with tetraplegia can maneuver a wheelchair better with the Tongue Drive System than with the sip-and-puff system. On average, the performance of 11 subjects with tetraplegia using the Tongue Drive System was three times faster than their performance with the sip-and-puff system, but with the same level of accuracy, even though more than half of the patients had years of daily experience with sip-and-puff technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThat was a very exciting finding,\u201d Ghovanloo said. \u201cIt attests to how quickly and accurately you can move your tongue.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea for piercing the tongue with the magnet was the inspiration of Anne Laumann, M.D., professor of dermatology at Feinberg and a lead investigator of the Northwestern trial. She had read about an early stage of Tongue Drive System using a glued-on tongue magnet. The problem was the magnet fell off after a few hours and aspiration of the loose magnet was a real danger to these users.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTongue piercing put to medical use \u2014 who would have thought it? It is needed and it works!\u201d Laumann said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe experiments were repeated over five weeks for the able-bodied test group, and over six weeks for the tetraplegic group. All of the subjects with tetraplegia were able to complete the trial, which Ghovanloo called an \u201cexciting\u201d and \u201cmajor finding.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe tetraplegic group was using the Tongue Drive System just one day each week, but their improvement in performance was dramatic.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe saw a huge, very significant improvement in their performance from session one to session two,\u201d Ghovanloo said. \u201cThat\u2019s an indicator of how quickly people learn this.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExperiments on the Tongue Drive System to date have been done in the lab or hospital. In future studies, scientists will test how the Tongue Drive System performs outside of the controlled clinical environment. The research team hopes to test how patients maneuver with the Tongue Drive System in their homes and other environments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Tongue Drive System isn\u2019t quite ready for commercialization, but Ghovanloo\u2019s startup company, Bionic Sciences, is working with Georgia Tech to move the technology forward. \u003Cbr \/\u003EGhovanloo is the foundering director of the GT-Bionics Laboratory, where his team is experimenting with other devices to improve the quality of life for individuals with disability.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAll of my projects are related to helping people with disabilities using the latest and greatest technologies,\u201d Ghovanloo said. \u201cThat\u2019s my goal in my professional life.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDiSanto hopes that the one day he\u2019ll be able to use a tongue-powered wheelchair outside of the hospital, which would help him gain some independence he lost after his diving accident.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The Tongue Drive System will greatly increase my quality of life when I can start using it everywhere I go,\u201d DiSanto said. \u201cWith the sip-and-puff system, there is always a straw in front of my face. With the Tongue Drive, people can see you, not just your adaptive equipment.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research is supported by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering under award number 1RC1EB010915, and by the National Science Foundation under awards CBET-0828882 and IIS-0803184. Any conclusions or opinions are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the sponsoring agencies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDr. Ghovanloo\u0027s company, Bionic Sciences, is negotiating with the Georgia Tech Research Corporation for a license to the technologies discussed in this article. If the license is executed, the results of his research on the Tongue Drive System could affect his personal financial status. Dr. Ghovanloo\u0027s Conflict of Interest has been reviewed and approved by Georgia Tech in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: J Kim, et al \u201cThe Tongue Enables Computer and Wheelchair Control for People with Spinal Cord Injury,\u201d (\u003Cem\u003EScience Translational Medicine\u003C\/em\u003E, 2013). \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/dx.doi.org\/\u003C\/a\u003E 10.1126\/scitranslmed.3006296\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia 30332-0181 USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts:\u003C\/strong\u003E Brett Israel (404-385-1933) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brett.israel@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebrett.israel@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or John Toon (404-894-6986) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter:\u003C\/strong\u003E Brett Israel\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn a new clinical trial, individuals with paralysis were able to use a tongue-controlled technology to access computers and execute commands for their wheelchairs at speeds that were significantly faster than those recorded in sip-and-puff wheelchairs, but with equal accuracy. This study is the first to show that the wireless and wearable Tongue Drive System outperforms sip-and-puff in controlling wheelchairs. Sip-and-puff is the most popular assistive technology for controlling a wheelchair.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27902","created_gmt":"2013-11-27 15:11:36","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:25","author":"Brett Israel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-11-27T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-11-27T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"257641":{"id":"257641","type":"image","title":"Dr. Ghovanloo and Jason DiSanto","body":null,"created":"1449243856","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:44:16","changed":"1475894938","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:58","alt":"Dr. Ghovanloo and Jason DiSanto","file":{"fid":"198268","name":"ghovanloo-disanto.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ghovanloo-disanto_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ghovanloo-disanto_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":347706,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ghovanloo-disanto_0.jpg?itok=9CZAJl96"}},"257631":{"id":"257631","type":"image","title":"A pierced tongue for science","body":null,"created":"1449243856","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:44:16","changed":"1475894938","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:58","alt":"A pierced tongue for science","file":{"fid":"198267","name":"disanto_piercing.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/disanto_piercing_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/disanto_piercing_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":328085,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/disanto_piercing_0.jpg?itok=3juyekFP"}},"257621":{"id":"257621","type":"image","title":"Tongue-controlled computer","body":null,"created":"1449243856","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:44:16","changed":"1475894938","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:58","alt":"Tongue-controlled computer","file":{"fid":"198266","name":"disanto_computer.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/disanto_computer_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/disanto_computer_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":296600,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/disanto_computer_0.jpg?itok=5_lz7wv9"}},"257671":{"id":"257671","type":"image","title":"Wheelchair obstacle course","body":null,"created":"1449243856","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:44:16","changed":"1475894938","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:58","alt":"Wheelchair obstacle course","file":{"fid":"198269","name":"obstacle_course_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/obstacle_course_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/obstacle_course_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":399715,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/obstacle_course_0_0.jpg?itok=hNV2ZEC_"}}},"media_ids":["257641","257631","257621","257671"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"80981","name":"jason disanto"},{"id":"8781","name":"Maysam Ghovanloo"},{"id":"7135","name":"tetraplegia"},{"id":"8782","name":"Tongue Drive System"},{"id":"80971","name":"tongue piercing"},{"id":"1652","name":"wheelchair"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBrett Israel\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-385-1933\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brett.israel@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebrett.israel@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["brett.israel@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}