video: Maysan Ghovanloo at Georgia Tech designs technology that allows disabled people to control everything -- from wheelchairs to computers -- with their tongue. We visit his lab and meet Jason DiSanto, who was paralyzed from the neck down this past April. DiSanto is testing the tongue controller by navigating his wheelchair around a small course. The technology involves a small magnet the size of a grain of rice, which can be pierced into a person's tongue. A companion device embedded with magnetic sensors, such as an orthodontic brace or headset, can then trace the movement of the tongue and transmit those signals wirelessly to a nearby portable computer. view more
Credit: Ann Kellan , Science Nation Producer