PROJECT TITLE :

Quantitative and Comparative Assessment of Learning in a Tongue-Operated Computer Input Device–-Part II: Navigation Tasks

ABSTRACT :

Tongue drive system (TDS) is a novel tongue-operated assistive technology (AT) for the mobility impaired, to empower them to access computers and drive powered wheelchairs (PWC) using their free voluntary tongue motion. We have evaluated the TDS performance in 5 sessions over five–eight weeks to check the learning process in different tasks of computer access and PWC navigation on nine in a position-bodied subjects who already had tongue piercing and used our magnetic tongue studs throughout the trial. Computer access tasks included on-screen maze navigation and issuing random commands to measure the TDS info transfer rate. PWC navigation included driving through a ∼50-m obstacle course using 3 management strategies. Some of the qualitative aspects of using the TDS were additionally evaluated based on the two Likert scale questionnaires, one among which was short (eight queries) and asked at the end of every session and the other one (46 questions) at the end of the trial. Included in this study was also a task to measure the tongue fatigue as a result of using the TDS continuously for a few hours. All performance measures showed vital improvement from the primary to the second session plus more gradual enhancements throughout the rest of the sessions, suggesting a fast learning method.