Mouthstick styluses are designed to allow quadriplegic and tetraplegic patients to interact with touch screen devices. To use a mouth stylus, the device is placed in an individual’s mouth and is used to point and interact with the touch sensitive device by pressing on the icon controls. Commercially available styluses are effective in allowing a person to interact with a device in two dimensions – up down, right left.
But they are not effective in enabling interaction at different depths as they are fixed in length. This can create problems for people with limited neck mobility.
To better accommodate this need for added dimensionality, researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs have developed a telescoping stylus.
Extension and retraction of the tip of the stylus are controlled by movements of the mouth to either engage a small battery powered motor. In a non-motorized version, the stylus can be extended and retracted by blowing or sucking through the mouthpiece.
Benefits
- Improved functionality of a mouth stylus by adding a third dimension of control
- In the motorized version, right and left bite sensors control the telescoping effect and bite pressure to both sensors turns the motor on or off
- Can be used with either capacitive or resistive touch screens
The Opportunity
- Businesses can productize the invention by licensing US patent 9,436,298 from the VA
- License fees paid to the VA are negotiable
- Businesses are navigated through the licensing process by TechLink at no charge