1B25 Control of an Electric Wheelchair Using a Tongue Interface

Abstract

The tongue motor functions are usually preserved even in people with cervical spinal cord damage. Therefore, tongue motions might be used by people with severe movement paralysis to control home appliances such as electric wheelchairs and PCs. This study classified voluntary tongue motions using a tongue interface based on surface electromyography (EMG) signals of the suprahyoid muscles detected at the underside of the jaw. The classified motions were linked with electric wheelchair operation commands. Experimentally obtained results confirmed that voluntary tongue motions can control the electric wheelchair.