Augmental, a company that builds skinware (“body-coupled interfaces that let people control computers, communicate, and interact with AI without relying on their hands”), is now selling a tongue-controlled computer mouse called MouthPad.
The Bluetooth device is a specially designed pad that’s worn over the upper teeth. A pressure-sensitive control pad on the palate registers the user’s tongue movements, and those inputs are processed in conjunction with head tracking to control the mouse pointer, clicks, and scrolling. Each MouthPad is custom-made for each user, and all gestures can be customized via an accompanying app.
According to Augmental, MouthPad is already being used on a daily basis by over 100 people with limited mobility. They also state that one user has achieved a level of cursor control precision equivalent to the performance of certain implanted brain-computer interfaces.
MouthPad is initially available in the US and costs $1,400 plus a mandatory dental scan (around $100). Once the dental scan is complete, orders typically ship within six months. Augmental says it has over 6,300 on its waitlist, including surgeons, technicians, pianists, boxers, mechanics, and others who need hands-free control.
