Tongue Piercings Can Steer Wheelchairs
Tongue piercings have just gotten a cleaner image as researcher have invented one that allows paralysed people to steer their wheelchairs in any direction by only moving their tongue.
The new and improved version of the teenage rebellion accessory/fallatio enhancer was developed by Northwestern University School of Medicine in the US and is proving a success with its testers.
Martin Mireles, a former church youth leader who got shot in the neck newly 20 years ago was one of the first to have tried the piercing. He is now able to navigate his wheelchair through an obstacle course with his mouth closed (and his tongue waggling around, of course).
How does it work?
Mireles was pierced with a magnetic stud through his tongue. In order to make the wheelchair move, he had to wear a headset with sensors that could pick up the magnetic waves from the tongue piercing. To go forward, he would move his tongue to the upper left corner of his mouth. Easy enough.
Why a tongue piercing?
Because researcher says the tongue doesn't tire easily and is usually not affected by a spinal cord injury because its connected to the brain through the cranial nerve.
And the tongue piercing is more effective than when they glued a magnet to a test subject's tongue (which would eventually fall off).
In the future, the researchers hope this technology could be implemented to differentiate each task by touch of a tooth. One tooth could mean opening a door, other could mean flipping on the TV.
It all sounds amazing but what if you want to use all these features and talk at the same time?
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Cubejam
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Interesting, but with all inventions like these, There's a flaw. What if he wants to eat? talk? Is there some kind of movement to shut it off?
- 12 months ago
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Cubejam
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freehit
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A prince albert will raise and lower the garage door.
- 12 months ago
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freehit
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UtopianSky
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And what do the nipple piercings do?
Nevermind, I don't want to know.
Yes, I do. :) - 12 months ago
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UtopianSky
