NBC reports on a digital device that’s just on the tip of your tongue… where it acts like a trackpad on the roof of your mouth:
MouthPad^, a retainer-like trackpad chip that sits on the roof of the mouth, made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show this week. It can sense tongue movements, allowing users to scroll, type, make calls and even play chess with a swipe or a click of their tongue.
“It is a mouse for your mouth,” Corbin Halliwill, a software engineer at Augmental, the company that created the device, said.
…
Halliwill, along with the company’s co-founders, Corten Singer and Tomás Vega, developed the device after friends and family who were paralyzed struggled to find the right technology that suited their needs.
…
Halliwill said MouthPad^ also appeals to more than the intended market now. Professionals who use their hands a lot, like mechanics or surgeons, have shown interest in the device. The company has also talked with astronauts who would like to try it out at the International Space Station.
The Augmental team has been developing its working prototype for about two years, mostly fine-tuning controls and applying filters so the device can work even if it picks up saliva or water. The product is expected to hit the market later this year, and early access is available on their website now.