A promising prototype for a mouth-based “joystick,” promises a real advancement for people living with physical ‘limitations’ by taking the hands-free remote technology to the next level.
The breakthrough comes from Germany’s Köln International School of Design by engineer Dorothee Clasen as part of her master’s thesis on human-computer interaction.
The [In]Brace mouthpiece contains a tiny toggle that can be controlled with the tongue via highly sensitive magnetic sensors. Custom-fitted to the player’s palate and teeth, the plastic retainer connects to a wireless transmitter, worn behind the ear, with a small set of wires.
Clasen hopes the circuitry can eventually be encapsulated into an all-in-one mouthpiece as , it must travel from inside your mouth to a Wi-Fi module.
To demonstrate how [In]Brace could work, Clasen created an analog to the classic video game “Pong,” called “Tong,” wherein simple flicks of the tongue could signal the paddle to move up and down the screen’s perimeter.
For the website Design Boom, Clasen explained that the device does require practice to master it, as most humans don’t need to develop eye-tongue coordination for daily life. However, she found her skills “quickly improved” during the first try and she ultimately “enjoyed” the novel gaming experience.
As most electronic interfaces are controlled with our fingers, the [In]Brace has obvious value for those who live with physical limitations of their hands and fingers but require access to various digital environments, such as logging on to a standard laptop.
The designer also said the device allows anyone to connect to a digital environment with their tongue, and it could also be useful for those performing complex tasks which are already occupying the hands and feet.
“A pianist might flip his digital note sheets with his tongue while playing, or a skier could play music from their smartphone with their tongue while skiing,” she wrote.
