The scientist are developing a shirt with sensors on it so as to make a wheel chair that can be used to control the wheel chair of the patients who are suffering from severe disability due to spine injury.
Victims of high level spine injury lose control of their arms and it has been mostly seen that there head and chest are in good shape. The scientists of North western are trying to use these parts as sensors so that the person is able to control his wheel chair.
Unlike techniques which are presently in use this technology will be adaptive and flexible. Now days there is a snuff and puff technology which responds to snuff/ puff of the patient to do the desired movement but in this case the patients have to learn the technique but in this new technology the software will record the initial movements of patient and from chain of commands after that.
The garment being designed has 52 piezoresistive sensors in it developed by University of Pisa.
These sensors have the ability to detect fine scale movements of upper body and arms. As the technology is still under development the researchers are only focusing on controlling wheel chair movement from this shirt.
Via: Technology Review
