Eyes-Free Tongue Gesture and Tongue Joystick Control of a Five DOF Upper-Limb Exoskeleton for Severely Disabled Individuals

Spinal cord injuries can severely limit independence and quality of life. Upper-limb exoskeletons offer a solution by enabling individuals with tetraplegia to perform daily activities. This study explores a tongue-computer interface to control a five-degree-of-freedom exoskeleton. The study compares two tongue-operated control methods: tongue gestures and dynamic virtual buttons with joystick-like control. Ten able-bodied participants controlled the exoskeleton for a drinking task, with and without visual feedback. Results demonstrated successful exoskeleton control via tongue, even without visual feedback, achieving 65.1% of the speed of a standard gamepad. A clinical case study showed an individual with tetraplegia controlling the exoskeleton only 5.6% slower than the able-bodied group after 2 hours of training.

• 1
  It was possible to control the exoskeleton with the tongue even without visual feedback, performing the drinking task at 65.1% of the speed of the gamepad.
• 2
  An individual with tetraplegia succeeded in fully controlling the exoskeleton and performing the drinking task only 5.6% slower than the able-bodied group.
• 3
  The study demonstrated the first single-modal control interface enabling individuals with complete tetraplegia to fully and continuously control a five-DOF upper limb exoskeleton.