cortensinger

The implications of this, for every day computer users and for assistive tech applications, are amazing...low volume speech detection in quiet/loud spaces is an epic unlock

Exactly. Its unfortunate that this is the way the world works...but we hope that the MouthPad^ can change that tired script! Universal design benefits us all, not just those at the extremes -- we should all care. See the history of curb cuts on our sidewalks as a small example.

Last year, Augmental (www.augmental.tech) released their first product, the MouthPad^, which is type of 'smart mouthware' that functions as a bluetooth-enabled mouse. The MouthPad^ is worn on the upper jaw and makes use tongue gesture to enable more universal access to one's personal electronics. Now, the MouthPad^ supports head-tracking, allowing users to move the cursor with their head motion while still supporting tongue-based clicks and other gestures.

I cant say that Im not interested in clever ways to draw power from the mouth, of which there are many cool options, but the reality is such that we wont really be able to address many of these features until we receive funding to support our growth so that we can dedicate an R&D team to tackle some of these tasks. Until then, our team count remains in the single digits.

+1 on the complementary potential of the MouthPad^.

As you mention, the MouthPad^ would serve as an awesome tool in tandem with gaze-based cursor control. I’d like to point out that there are also other interface combinations that could work well, too. For example, we have tested using our device in tandem with voice-assistant systems and found preliminary success as our device does not prevent speech. In the end, everyone has different needs and preferences, and each interface has their quirks, so we aim to create a better option by leveraging the power of the tongue (comprised of 8 different muscles, and intrinsically dexterous).

This is a fair point.

Although our promotional video features people with quadriplegia, the MouthPad^ is designed for everyone and anyone interested in using their tongue and mouth to control their personal devices. We believe strongly in universal design, and how designing for extremes can create an improved experience for all users, and this has led us to work closely with the disability community. A classic example of the benefits of universal design can be seen in curb cuts, which were initially built into our sidewalks to help accommodate the needs of people living with mobility issues, but ended up providing value to many other groups, such as mothers with strollers, workers with carts, travelers with luggage, runners, skateboarders, etc.

We have actually created a few USB/wired versions of our device, specifically with gaming latency concerns in mind! We made a version for our friend and Augmental champion, Rocky NoHands (https://twitter.com/RockyNoHands), to complement his QuadStick gaming setup. In our test sessions together, there were no battery power issues as the wired prototype uses the USB for both communication and power. With that prototype, we had the added benefit of being able to debug simultaneously over Bluetooth without interfering with any USB data transmission. You can watch Rocky play Apex using this wired version as a Left Analog Input (movement commands) in a few clips in our promotional video. Hopefully one day in the future we will be able to offer a wired version of the MouthPad^ to our customers! Also, as we optimize our firmware to support improved power-saving techniques, we hope to see our current battery lifetimes increase from ~5.5 hours.

If you are considering signing up to our waitlist, I encourage you to enter information like this in the optional text box at the end of the sign-up form to let us know. We are mainly interested in prioritizing Beta customers who are in close proximity so that we can provide amazing, personalized support during the onboarding process and in the ensuing early days of usage, but we are not absolutists by any means. If there are any other interested Beta customers who would be willing to travel to us, we would be happy to know that and will take it into consideration as we move forward in processing all the incoming waitlist requests. Thanks!

Due to the fact that we incorporate each user’s custom 3D dental scan into the design process, the MouthPad^ is actually quite thin and doesnt prevent speech when worn. With our earliest test users, we have already explored using the MouthPad^ as a complementary tool to voice-control systems.

One example is asking a voice assistant to open “today’s news”, and then using the MouthPad^ to navigate through the options and select the desired link, which is captured briefly in our promotional video (a scene where Krystina is controlling her smart phone). Another example that can be found in our video is when Rocky NoHands uses his MouthPad^ to call his girlfriend, during which he is able to speak with ease. Of course, results may vary, but we have found all our test users are able to speak just fine so far.

Yep, although we started with the 32, we are now using nRF52840.

Hello everyone, I am Corten, one of the co-founders of Augmental. I must say that it’s pretty amazing to see the MouthPad^ make some waves in this forum - thank you for your support and interest! As you can imagine, things have been busy on our end, but I’ll answer as many questions as I can.

Our main goal in designing the MouthPad^ is to provide universal digital accessibility for all, and to explore alternative input modalities for wearable hands-free interaction. The MouthPad^ is designed for anyone interested in using their tongue and mouth to control their personal devices, including computers, tablets and smartphones. In particular, we have worked closely with the disability community as this alternative input modality provides immediate value. We strongly believe that, in working with this community, we can build a better interface for everyone. As such, we envision a future in which anyone could have a MouthPad^!