Intraoral wearable with a tongue-based interface to control devices for people with cervical spinal cord injuries or ALS
Official title: Development of a novel intra-oral wearable device with an inaudible speech computer interface for users with cervical spinal cord injuries
Funded at Augmental Technologies INC. · NIH-11403178 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small mouth-held device lets a user move a cursor and operate devices with their tongue, helping people with quadriplegia communicate and interact more easily.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 1 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Augmental Technologies INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | August 20, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $329,475 |
| NIH project number | 1R43DC023164-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11403178 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury, ALS, or related conditions who have limited hand use and can benefit from mouth- or tongue-controlled interfaces.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without significant upper-limb impairment or those unable to use oral-based interfaces may not benefit from this device.
What this research studies
This grant supports developing MouthPad, an intraoral wearable that uses a tongue-based trackpad and head-motion sensing to control laptops and smartphones. It targets people with cervical spinal cord injury, ALS, or stroke who have limited hand use and struggle with traditional typing or voice input in certain environments. The project focuses on creating a private, quiet way to type and navigate digital devices, improving privacy and independence. The work combines acoustics, user-centered design, and privacy considerations to address real-world communication needs. It is an early-stage development funded as a small NIH contract to demonstrate feasibility and user satisfaction.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could type and interact with digital devices more accurately and privately, enhancing communication and daily functioning.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier assistive-tech prototypes show promise, but this intraoral solution aims to improve accuracy and privacy in real-world use.
Where this research is happening
-
Augmental Technologies INC.
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gowda, Suraj — Augmental Technologies INC.
- Study coordinator: Gowda, Suraj
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Silent speech interface using a wearable tongue tracker to help people after laryngectomy communicate
A wearable system with tongue sensors and intraoral components aims to let people without a vocal cord use natural-sounding speech in daily life.
-
Overlap between how we speak and how we hold words in memory
A Duke-led project studies how the brain that talks relates to keeping verbal information in working memory, using advanced brain recordings from patients already undergoing medical care.
-
AI-powered system to improve teamwork in cardiac surgery
A research project is testing an AI-driven system that listens to team conversations during heart surgeries to spot teamwork patterns and give real-time feedback to improve patient safety.
-
Caregiver Speech and Infant Brain Development in Siblings of Children with Autism
This project follows babies who have an older sibling with autism to explore how caregiver talk and everyday interactions relate to early brain and behavior development.
-
How speech and swallowing work in people with Down syndrome
Researchers will look at how differences in the mouth, throat, and brain affect speech clarity and safe swallowing in children and adults with Down syndrome.
-
Information and social media use for autism info in young children
A research project looks at how speech-language pathologists and parents of young autistic children use social media for information and what makes that information trustworthy.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.