This may not be the post you think it is.. especially if you are wanting me to comment on piercings or body art. If you have never imagined that anything good could come of such things I refer you to a GeekoSystem post titled Tongue Piercing Used To Control Wheelchair. The piece caught my attention because of its reference to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) where my wife recently stayed. Here is a clip from the piece:
I don't know about you but this kind of creativity, innovation and science wows me. Seeing so many disabled people at the RIC this past month (Ann shared a room with several) causes me to pray harder for innovations such as this one. If you are interested in learning more you can read the rest of the interesting GeekoSystem article here.The tongue is a strong muscle that plays a role in our ability to speak and digest (and taste) food. But for paralyzed individuals, the tongue could also be the key to gaining some mobility. Researchers at Northwestern University, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and the Shepherd Center in Atlanta have launched a clinical trial of a tongue drive system for wheelchairs.
The system is based on first piercing users’ tongues with a magnetic stud. A headset with sensors that can read the magnetic signals emitted from the piercing is worn by the user, who moves their tongue to signal the desired movements of their wheelchair. For example, pointing the tongue to the upper left corner of the mouth will signal the wheelchair to move forward.
We hear so much about the negatives . .. it's refreshing to see the beneficial uses of technology. Thankful for God's common grace that makes these developments possible.
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool!!! I love when something most frown at, can be turned into something so helpful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
It actuslly is a very creative idea.
ReplyDeleteWow. The things people come up with!
ReplyDelete