Listen up! It may not improve hearing but it may improve independence for people with extremely limited function who may require advanced control systems in order to use a powered wheelchair.

Think A Move Technology, LTD, has developed e-macc, a unique technology that fits in a wheelchair users ear and allows them to control their powered wheelchair. The ear piece is inconspicuous and hygienic.

e-macc translates small tongue movements inside the mouth into commands that control the wheelchair and ancillary devices. Acoustic sensing technology picks up the signals created by speech and tongue movements. The signals are then transmitted to a small processor on the wheelchair where they are translated into pre-defined commands.

Think-A-Move, Ltd. has licensed its e-macc (Ear Mobility Accessibility Control Communication) technology to Switch-It Inc. With this technology Switch-It brings the first wheelchair control that only requires a hygienic inconspicuous earpiece to operate to the market.

This is one technology to keep an ear out for. Depending on cost, and ease of training the user and system, it has the potential of eliminating several long standing problems for wheelchair users with extreme functional limitations.

Isolating several small movements that the user can perform in a consistent and repetitive fashion has always been a problem. Add to this the need to attach switches or controls to the wheelchair in a way that will accurately align them with those small functional movements and then keep them aligned while the user gets jostled and shifted around within the wheelchair. It’s almost impossible to maintain accurate alignment over the long haul without constantly having to reposition the wheelchair user. Devices such as e-macc may go a long way in resolving these problems and increasing wheelchair usability and user independence.