Getting around after a catastrophic spinal cord injury has gotten easier thanks to head-mounted steering systems, but there are plenty of problems inherent in those systems. Researchers at Georgia Tech have figured out a way to make mouth-controlled wheelchair navigation much easier and more effective by mounting the system inside the driver’s mouth.

The intraoral Tongue Drive System consists of a retainer worn on the roof of the mouth and a tongue stud outfitted with a magnet. The retainer has magnetic field sensors at each corner to detect the movement of the magnetized tongue stud and translate the tongue movements through an iPhone app and into movements of the user’s wheelchair.

This unique system could take the place of joystick controls and the simple sip-and-puff design that allows paraplegics to drive by sucking or blowing on a straw. The system is able to learn new commands and is highly sensitive, meaning that paralyzed users can look forward to a higher level of control over their movements than ever before.

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Paralyzed people and amputees could soon stand tall with a Segway-type personal vehicle that would allow them to go anywhere a wheelchair can go. The Chariot is being developed by Exomovere Holdings who hopes that the vehicle would be a direct competitor of scooters and wheelchairs marketed toward elderly, disabled and obese people. More importantly, it’s like a pair of wheeled cybernetic legs that snap on over your own legs, which is pretty rad.

Like a Segway, the Chariot uses directional movements of the user’s body to move it around. In this case, subtle torso and hip movements would tell the Chariot which way the driver wants to go while his hands and arms stay free to do other things.

Exomovere hopes to incorporate a whole slew of other features into the Chariot, like biomedical monitors, environmental sensors and wireless connectivity. The Chariot isn’t being produced for sale yet, but Exomovere is looking for a vehicle company to get on board with the idea and help them refine and market it.

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Sport wheelchairs are nothing new, but most of them are sport-specific and not really meant to be used for everyday mobility as well as sports. Designer Joven De La Vega has come up with an impressive design that was modeled after sport bicycles to be sturdy, fast and rugged. The HXC Wheelchair, like BMX bikes, is meant to be able to go just about anywhere. It lets users do things that most people never thought a wheelchair could do.

The integrated casters, built-in footrest and sturdy front lip are all meant to add a sporty element to the HXC Wheelchair. Utilizing these unique features, users can use the HXC to perform tricks just like skateboard and bicycle athletes.

The HXC’s design is pared down to contain only those features necessary for speed, stability and safety. The short backrest provides a freer range of movement while the protective back rail doubles as a pushing bar. The tubular steel frame and slightly in-turned wheels make for a stable but fast ride.

Prototype HXCs have been tried out by disabled athletes, and special prototypes have been made to facilitate certain sports and tricks. De La Vega’s exceptional design is a welcome change from the standard wheelchair; one that acknowledges the fact that being in a wheelchair doesn’t meant losing one’s sense of adventure or taste for extreme sports.

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For wheelchair users, having a functional and easy-to-use chair is a must. But the best chairs are often far beyond the financial capabilities of most families, leaving many users with labor-intensive non-motorized wheelchairs. Designer Ju Hyun Lee proposes a simple alternative to pricey electric wheelchairs: an add-on device that gives power to conventional wheelchairs.

The NEWS (New Electric Wheelchairs) device fits over the wheels of a non-motorized wheelchair, with a control bar that sits above the user’s lap. It provides power to the chair, making it easier for the user to get around without help and without the tiring repetitive motions of propelling the wheelchair with muscle power.

The brilliant design would be less expensive than buying a new motorized wheelchair, but would provide just as much power to get the user to where they need to go. Once attached to the chair’s wheels, the NEWS can be pushed down to the floor to allow the user to exit the chair easily. Simple joystick controls make it easy to get around. Though still a concept, this revolutionary idea could one day provide increased mobility in nursing homes, hospitals, and private homes without the exorbitant cost of motorized wheelchairs.

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To a human, opening a door isn’t a difficult task. We can visually identify what type of knob or handle the door has, then through common sense (and trial and error) figure out how much pressure to apply while twisting, pushing or pulling. For a robot, though, these tasks are extremely difficult. So much goes into opening a door that it usually takes a pretty sophisticated set of components to make an effective door-opening robot.

But door-opening robots are an enticing field for robotic engineers. People in wheelchairs often can’t reach or manipulate handles to open doors, making it very difficult to get around in a building without automatic doors. Several variations of the door-opening robot have been developed before, but they were so cost-prohibitive that most people wouldn’t be able to afford them. So a group of robotics students at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, designed a cost-effective robot gripper to help wheelchair users who may not be able to afford the big-ticket gizmos.

Their gripper, called Dora (door-opening robotic arm) cost only $2000 to make and works on a single motor. It incorporates three plastic fingers that extend to grasp the door handle. Then the fingers hold onto the handle or knob while twisting, pushing or pulling to open the door. In tests, Dora was able to open doors with 14 different types of handles in 85 percent of tests involving pushing the door open, and 65 percent of tests involving pulling the door open. Future variations of the idea could include sensors and more actuators to improve functionality while still maintaining the low cost of the device.

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