Training system of tongue mobility and tactile sensation

Abstract

We propose a joystick system with force feedback function for the rehabilitation of tongue mobility and tactile sensation. This system is operated with the tip of tongue and has adjustable operational stiffness by impedance control. Our system can give each user effective training contents through selecting impedance parameters. Furthermore when impedance characteristics during stick operation are adjusted, it stimulates user's tactile sensation and requires the user to react quickly in the movement or posture. Namely our proposed system has a potential to improve the mobility and tactile sensation. In this paper, we fabricated a prototype system and examined its possibilities of use in tongue training through several experiments.