As a quadriplegic, Keely Horch spent a long time avoiding assistive technology since much of it required the use of her upper limbs. Tomás Vega, the CEO and founder of Augmental, shared her frustration, and out of that, he developed the MouthPad^, the world’s first hands-free touchpad.
“Human-computer interaction really has been focused on the hand, and that’s just not inclusive,” he said. “Our tongue is as expressive as a finger, and it’s composed of muscles that don’t really fatigue as much as other areas of the body. So, I thought, ‘Why don’t we control our computer with our tongue?’ The MouthPad^ is a trackpad for your tongue. It’s a mouse in your mouth.”
The user controls the cursor by moving their tongue around the roof of their mouth. They click by pressing on their palate, right-clicking by sucking or sipping.
The MouthPad^ connects to computers, laptops, phones and tablets like any Bluetooth input system. After an initial 3D mouth scan by one of Augmental’s dental partners, each Mouthpad^ device is custom made to order.
Keely, who’s now a computer engineering student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is one of 40 users with disabilities that Augmental has collaborated with over the past year to refine the MouthPad^. She currently uses her MouthPad^ to code, draw equations, and take notes during class lectures, allowing her to truly engage with the material.
“I’m excited about the future because of the independence I have now from the MouthPad^,” Keely said. “Being able to stay up late to do homework or play games gives me a sense of normalcy. It’s given me the motivation to want to take control of my life. There’s the ability to live independently. It’s given me a spark.”
The MouthPad^ is now available across the country to anyone like Keely. Join the waitlist for an email link to purchase the device and make it your own.