Steering by Sniffing From: NASA Tech Briefs - 07/29/2010 A sniffing-based device developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel may enable disabled people to navigate wheelchairs or communicate with loved ones. The system identifies changes in air pressure inside the nostrils and translates these into electrical signals. In the future, researchers predict that this technology may even be used to create a "third hand" to assist healthy surgeons or pilots. Sniffing is a precise motor skill that is controlled, in part, by the soft palate - the flexible divider that moves to direct air in or out through the mouth or nose. The soft palate is controlled by nerves that are connected directly to it through the braincase. The researchers based the design of the device off the premise that the ability to sniff might be preserved even in the most acute cases of paralysis. Functional magnetic resonance imaging supported this idea, and also revealed a significant overlap between soft palate control and the language areas of the brain - indicating that the use of sniffing to communicate might be learned intuitively. To test this theory, the scientists created a device with a sensor that fits on the nostril's opening and measures changes in air pressure. Quadriplegic patients testing out the device succeeded in operating a computer and writing messages through sniffing. In addition to communication, the device can function as a steering mechanism for wheelchairs. Testing of the device on healthy volunteers and quadriplegics has shown that the method is easily mastered. After 15 minutes of practice, a subject who was paralyzed from the neck down navigated a wheelchair through a complex route as well as a non- disabled volunteer. Read the entire article at: New Invention at the Weizmann Institute Enables Severely Disabled People to Communicate and Steer a Wheelchair by Sniffing http://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/site/EN/weizman.asp?pi=371&doc_id=6174 Links: Sniffing enables communication and environmental control for the severely disabled http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/07/13/1006746107 Device let’s paralyzed communicate and steer wheelchair by sniffing http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/device-let-s-paralyzed-communicate-and-steer-wheelchair-by-sniffing/ --- Enables Severely Disabled People to Communicate and Steer a Wheelchair by Sniffing From: ACM TechNews - 07/30/2010 A team at the Weizmann Institute has developed a device that enables disabled people to communicate or control a wheelchair by sniffing. Inhaling and exhaling is a precise motor skill that is controlled, in part, by the soft palate--the flexible divider that moves to direct air in or out through the mouth or nose. The team theorized that the ability to sniff might be preserved even in the most acute cases of paralysis, and functional magnetic resonance imaging showed an overlap between soft palate control and the language areas of the brain, suggesting that the use of sniffing to communicate might be learned intuitively. The team built a device with a sensor that fits on the nostril's opening and measures changes in air pressure, and a passive version for patients on respirators diverts airflow to the nostrils. In tests, about 75 percent of the subjects on respirators were able to control their soft palate movement to operate the device. One paralyzed subject was able to navigate a wheelchair through a complex route after 15 minutes of practice. In or out, strong or shallow, long or short sniffs are the multiple signals that make up the complex language of the device. The Weizmann team believes the device could also serve as a "third hand" for surgeons or pilots. --- Sniff Control From: IEEE Spectrum - 08/11/2010 By: Prachi Patel The nose could be a new computer interface for the severely disabled Researchers in Israel have developed a new way for severely paralyzed people to communicate with the outside world—by sniffing. The device converts nasal pressure into electrical signals and could enable quadriplegics and “locked in” individuals to type text, surf the Web, and control wheelchairs. Read the entire article at: http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/devices/sniff-control Links: Sniffing enables communication and environmental control for the severely disabled http://www.pnas.org/content/107/32/14413 Video - sniff detection: http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2010/07/14/1006746107.DCSupplemental/sm01.mov Video - typing http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2010/07/14/1006746107.DCSupplemental/sm02.mov Video - controlling a computer program http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2010/07/14/1006746107.DCSupplemental/sm03.mov Video - controlling a wheelchair http://www.pnas.org/content/suppl/2010/07/14/1006746107.DCSupplemental/sm04.mov --- The Power of Sniff From: Scientific American - 09/01/2010 By: Ferris Jabr A new device lets the disabled move and communicate with their noses The key to restoring movement and communication for the severely disabled may lie on the roofs of our mouths. Researchers have invented a device that allows the paralyzed to write, surf the Web and steer an electric wheelchair—all by sniffing. Initial tests, described recently in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, suggest that patients with severe paralysis may soon have a new way of doing everyday tasks. Read the entire article at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-power-of-sniff Links: Sniffing enables communication and environmental control for the severely disabled http://www.pnas.org/content/107/32/14413.full.pdf+html Unlocking communication with the nose http://www.pnas.org/content/107/32/13979.full.pdf+html?sid=b4f0afb9-d0aa-4afb-ac11-5d851eb3e822 Disabled Individuals Interact With The World Through Intuitive Natural Actions (video) http://www.psfk.com/2010/08/assistive-technology-disabled-individuals-interact-with-the-world-through-intuitive-natural-actions.html Invention Enables People With Disabilities Communicate and Steer a Wheelchair by Sniffing http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100726151600.htm --- Using the Nose as a Computer Interface Israeli researchers have developed a device that converts nasal pressure into electrical signals. This novel human-computer interface could enable severely paralyzed people to type text, surf the Web, and control wheelchairs. Read the entire article at: http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/devices/sniff-control