Boston: There are some people in the world who cannot use a mouse due to some weakness or disability. A subsidiary of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a mouth-controlled mouse called the ‘Mouthpad’.
According to the company Augmental, firstly, it is a gift for those who cannot operate a mouse by hand and secondly, it can be used by multi-taskers as well.
It is fully 3D printed, waterproof and has a flexible circuit and processor installed. To fit it in the mouth, he or she first performs an oral exam or scan. When placed in the mouth, it adheres to the upper teeth and palate and interestingly, there is no difficulty in speaking even when placed in the mouth. However, it weighs only seven and a half grams and is only 0.7 mm thick.
The mouse works under the pressure and position of the tongue and sends instructions to a computerized laptop using machine learning. It also maintains the Bluetooth connection with the original device. Very soon their commercial model will be generally available that will work with all operating systems.
It can work for five hours after a single charge.
