Clinical Evaluation of Remote Tongue-based Control of a Wheelchair Mounted Robotic Manipulator with Users with Spinal Cord Injury

The objective of this paper was to for the first time demonstrate and evaluate a remotely tongue-controlled wheelchair mounted assistive robotic manipulator (ARM) with three individuals with cervical spinal cord injury. On three days they remotely tonguecontrolled the wheelchair and the ARM (WMARM) to complete two activities of daily living (ADL): Driving the wheelchair and ARM to a remote setting to 1) pick up a bottle and 2) pick up a ball. The participants controlled the system using full manual control by tongue and through semi-automation. Finally, the participants answered a NASA Task Load Index (TLX) questionnaire and a semistructured interview. Results: All participants were able to remotely control the WMARM by tongue. Semi-automation resulted in shorter task completion time, gripping time and fewer commands as compared with manual control. Moreover, semi-automation decreased the measured mental load in the NASA TLX questionnaire by an average of 57%. The participants rated satisfaction with the system high. All the participants thought that the biggest advantage to the system was the potential for performing ADLs on their own and thereby increasing their self-supportiveness. They agreed that automation made the control easier, and that the system would benefit from increased environmental information, e.g. by adding a rear-view camera. Conclusion: It was possible for the users with tetraplegia to control the wheelchair with the ARM using their tongue to perform ADL in Wi-Fi based remote setting. This proposed system has the potential to increase independence and social interaction of individuals with tetraplegia.