Features from the product page:

Fits Patients 5'0" to 6'4"

Maximum Weight 500 lbs.

Off-Set Wheels and Handle Bar for Stability

2-Piece Cushion for Maximum Comfort

Tools-Free Height and Side Adjustment

Weighs only 19 lbs

Dual Brakes; Parking Brake

Wire Basket

Product page: SW-500...

(hat tip: OhGizmo!)

Movement of the magnetic tracer attached to the tongue is detected by an array of magnetic field sensors mounted on a headset outside the mouth or on an orthodontic brace inside the mouth. The sensor output signals are wirelessly transmitted to a portable computer, which can be carried on the user’s clothing or wheelchair.

The sensor output signals are processed to determine the relative motion of the magnet with respect to the array of sensors in real-time. This information is then used to control the movements of a cursor on the computer screen or to substitute for the joystick function in a powered wheelchair.

The system can potentially capture a large number of tongue movements, each of which can represent a different user command. A unique set of specific tongue movements can be tailored for each individual based on the user’s abilities, oral anatomy, personal preferences and lifestyle.

“An individual could potentially train our system to recognize touching each tooth as a different command,” explained Ghovanloo [Maysam Ghovanloo, assistant professor at Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering --ed.]. “The ability to train our system with as many commands as an individual can comfortably remember is a significant advantage over the common sip-n-puff device that acts as a simple switch controlled by sucking or blowing through a straw.”

Ghovanloo’s group recently completed trials in which six able-bodied individuals tested the Tongue Drive system. Each participant defined six tongue commands that would substitute for computer mouse tasks – left, right, up and down pointer movements and single- and double-click. For each trial, the individual began by training the system. During the five-minute training session, the individual repeated each of the six designated tongue movements 10 times.

During the testing session, the user moved his or her tongue to one of the predefined command positions and the mouse pointer started moving in the selected direction. To move the cursor faster, users could hold their tongue in the position of the issued command to gradually accelerate the pointer until it reached a maximum velocity.

Results of the computer access test by novice users with the current Tongue Drive prototype showed a response time of less than one second with almost 100 percent accuracy for the six individual commands. This is equivalent to an information transfer rate of approximately 150 bits per minute, which is much faster than the bandwidth of most brain-computer interfaces, according to Ghovanloo.

Press release: Tongue-controlled System Assists Individuals with Disabilities ...

Video of Dr Maysam Ghovanloo describing the workings of the device and a demonstration by a student controlling a wheelchair with his tongue.

The device has been designed to help patients who are undergoing rehab re-learn how to walk. The unit will hopefully re-train muscles and motor pathways to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of rehab.

Press release: Honda to Conduct Collaborative Testing of its Walking Assist Device ...

Read our previous coverage here and here...

(Far East Gizmos via Engadget)

Watch this video demonstration of the Chair-A-Table:

Product page: Chair-A-Table ...

Product brochure (.pdf)...

"The program allows people who have been in hospital for a heart attack or heart surgery to undergo a six-week walking exercise rehabilitation program wherever it's convenient, while having their heart signal, location and speed monitored in real time," Dr Worringham said.

"We are trying this approach because 80 per cent of cardiac patients never complete recommended hospital outpatient rehabilitation programs, despite the fact that they cut recurrent heart attacks by 17%, substantially reduce deaths, prevent re-hospitalisation, and improve both function and quality of life."

"It's not because they don't want to take part, it's usually because they cannot get to the hospital's program easily, because there simply isn't one nearby, or because work or family commitments take priority."

Dr Worringham said country singer and songwriter Alan McPherson was one of the first to trial the system.

"Mr McPherson was able to do his rehabilitation sessions while on tour from Queensland to Victoria knowing he was being properly monitored," he said.

"Without the system he would have either had to cancel his tour, forego the rehab program, or take a chance and exercise with no monitoring or support."

The Cardiomobile system works by the patient attaching to their chests a mini ECG (electrocardiogram or heart signal) monitor and wearing a cap with a lightweight GPS receiver, both connected to a mobile phone via Bluetooth.

"Patients phone in at the start of their scheduled session and then their heart signal, location, speed and gradient are monitored in real-time over the web by a qualified exercise scientist, who guides the patient's program and checks their progress," Dr Worringham said.

"If there is any problem with the heart signal we can immediately contact the patient, and consult with the cardiologist if needed.

QUT press release: Mini ECG gets heart attack rehab patients mobile ...

The Tensegrity foot is different. POPSCI explains:

Rifkin built something that combined the natural step of a bionic foot with the simplicity and low cost of a mechanical prosthetic. His jointed foot has a heel, a forefoot, a big toe—and no joint at the ankle. Instead, a novel midfoot joint, which connects the heel and forefoot, does the job of both the ankle and the arch. Like an ankle joint, it flexes up and down to give the wearer a more natural step. And, like a real midfoot joint, it creates a flexible arch in the middle of the foot. A spring and cable connect it to a second joint at the toe, to create extra push-off at the end of each step. Other tensioned steel cables serve as the tendons and ligaments that govern its range of motion—the user doesn’t control it, it simply responds to the pressure of walking. Because the front and back of the foot can move independently, it can react to uneven terrain.

With input from 11 amputee test users like Link, Rifkin is refining his fifth (and, he hopes, final) prototype, made primarily of magnesium for its strength and low weight. Early results indicate that the one-pound foot reduces the amount of energy required for each step because it uses the force absorbed by the spring and joints to help propel the foot forward. “It’s the equivalent of taking a 50-pound pack off your back,” he explains. That’s on par with the best bionic feet, without all the expensive motors and artificial intelligence."

Image: How the K3 Promoter Works: A flexible midfoot joint makes the prosthetic stable on uneven ground, and a spring-loaded toe provides push-off for each step.

More from POPSCI.COM

Company page:: Tensegrity Prosthetics

The new device, already approved in Europe last year, uses electrodes attached directly to the diaphragm to electrically stimulate its movement. The result is more natural breathing, and, hopefully, reduced potential to develop pulmonary complications.

From the press release:

In the clinical trial, NeuRx DPS™ provided 98% of SCI patients who had been dependent on mechanical ventilation via a tracheostomy with an alternative that allowed them to breathe normally and live more active lives. To date, over 50% were able to be completely eliminate their need for mechanical ventilation. Patients may be able to transfer from ventilator wards to home or assisted living, and even travel. Speech patterns, often laborious and strained in ventilatordependent patients, return to normal. The senses of taste and smell, severely diminished in ventilatordependent patients, return.

Controlled through a fourchannel battery powered external pulse generator, the NeuRx DPS™ eliminates the need for a source of electricity and the concern for power outages. Patients and caregivers are easily trained in the use of the NeuRx DPS™ reducing the need for external medical supervision. Elimination and reduction of the use of a mechanical ventilator also greatly reduces the patient’s risk of a serious complication: Ventilator Acquired Pneumonia (VAP). In a peer review 2007 report in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinical of North America by Stephen P. Burns MD, the incidence of SCI pneumonia for initial admitted patients was reported to be as high as 50 percent. The associated mortality from pneumonia was reported as 28% in the first year.

Company video explaining the workings of the system...

Press release: Synapse Biomedical Receives FDA Approval of NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System (DPS)™ For Spinal Cord Injury Breathing Applications

Product page: NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing Stimulation (DPS)™ System ...

From the project page:

The first prototypes have been built using conventional hometrainers. These hometrainers are equipped with sensors for measuring velocity and driving direction. Using the same optical sensors also the steering direction is measured. The data is transferred to a PC using the standard PS2 keyboard interface. With a PS2-USB adapter the hometrainer can be connected to a wide variety of systems, (MS Windows, Linux, MAC).

The forward velocity and steering direction are measured using optical sensors which can easily be integrated into the existing hardware. Conversion of sensorsignals to PS2 standard is done using an AVR-RISC microcontroller van Atmel.

The bike steer is equipped with an 'ET-button®' (named after a legendary scene in a Spielberg movie). This button is for initiating the flying mode.

Video of developers playing with the system (3MB or 12MB Windows Media file)...

And for those with no patience, a shorter, grainier video on YouTube:

Second Life Fitness...

(hat tip: ScienceRoll)

Video demonstrating the capabilities in Second Life:

Press release: Keio University succeeds in the World's First Demonstration Experiment with the Help of a Disabled Person To Use Brainwave to Chat and Stroll Through the Virtual World...

More info from Keio University in Japanese...

In an exercise study completed last year, patients who were paralysed from the chest or waist down experienced an average increase in their oxygen uptake by 25% and in their heart pumping volume by fully 37% after just eight weeks of training.

Never before has so much improvement or such impressive results been documented in this patient group.

The Ergys 2 is a stationary training bicycle, where the patient’s legs and feet are strapped to a leg holder and pedals. Electrodes are then fastened to the patient’s thigh and seat muscles, and electrical impulses trigger the muscles to contract and relax.

The impulses are computer controlled to guarantee the best possible effect. Even though it may seem like artificial training, it is real enough as it’s the patient’s own muscles that are working. And it is movement that demands energy: the blood flow increases, and the pulse goes up. The exercise has an effect on muscle mass, muscle strength, oxygen uptake and the heart’s pumping volume.

More at MTB Europe...

Product page: ERGYS2