The Augmental MouthPad^. A human-centered innovation.
The mission: Develop cutting-edge technologies, transform them to be more human-centered and change peoples lives for the better
Inspired by close connections to people with disabilities, we’ve designed a groundbreaking interface that harnesses the natural dexterity of the tongue to interact with the myriad smart devices which have become a requirement for daily living. Our aim is to make technology more accessible and empowering for everyone, regardless of their background or physical ability.
Introducing the MouthPad^
The MouthPad^ is an intra-oral Human Interface Device, which allows the wearer to use tongue, head, and breath gestures to control their personal electronic devices. We have streamlined the MouthPad^ in both physical form and operation. It connects via standard Bluetooth and requires no special drivers or software. It’s intuitive and fun to use, compatible with voice control, lightweight, small, and invisible in the mouth.
The device is truly multi-modal, with cursor movement controlled by tongue and head movements, according to the user’s preference. Tongue presses are used for left-click, or click-and-drag. Sip gestures are used for right-clicks and to change device state. Scrolling, swiping, bite-based input, and other more sophisticated gestures are in development and will greatly expand our dimensions of control.
We’re proud to say that our device is already making a difference in the lives of people with quadriplegia, and we have received letters of support from spinal cord injury associations, including the largest one in the United States. However, we envision the MouthPad^ as more than just an input device and are working hard to develop what will be a truly bi-directional human-computer interface. This device will help transition society away from the Look-Down interfaces of today, and will usher in a new era of more natural human-computer interaction, allowing us to bring the focus back to interacting with each other.
During our product development, it quickly became evident that additive manufacturing (specifically photopolymer 3D printing) was the method of choice for producing the MouthPad^. The prevalence of FDA-approved dental materials and the ability to rapidly produce both prototypes and end-use devices in a cost-effective manner is critical to Augmental’s operation and production. We’ve partnered with Asiga for our MouthPad^ production, and our Asiga machines enable the accuracy, reliability, material flexibility, and production capacity that we require.
With Asiga, there is of course a wide range of materials available to us. For MouthPad^ production, we chose to use KeySplint Soft from Keystone. This industry-standard resin’s mechanical properties combined with the precision of our Asiga MAX UV allows us to achieve a level of comfort and quality in our finished devices which was unattainable with previous workflows. We’ve leveraged Asiga’s innovative UltraGLOSS™ trays to streamline the support removal process and allow us to print our devices crystal-clear, greatly reducing the post-cure polishing necessary. This option further enhances our ability to produce a high-quality intraoral appliance in a time-effective manner.
It’s thanks to these remarkable advancements in additive manufacturing capability and accessibility that Augmental and many other companies have been able to bring new, innovative, and life-changing products such as the MouthPad^ to market. We are sure this will only continue to be the case as this technology becomes even more widely adopted. Partnering with Asiga has enabled a level of quality and flexibility that we might not have otherwise had. We know that this is only the beginning, and as we look to the road ahead, we are ecstatic about this technology and what it will enable us to achieve moving forward.
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