Innovative Mouth-Based Touchpad Empowers People with Paralysis to Interact with Computers

When Tomás Vega SM ’19 was just 5 years old, he began to stutter, sparking his appreciation for the power of technology to transcend disabilities. This early experience drove him to a lifelong mission of human augmentation through technology.

Vega, who started programming at age 12, has spent his career building assistive technologies for people with disabilities. Today, he is the co-founder and CEO of Augmental, a startup focused on enabling seamless interaction between people with movement impairments and their personal devices.

Augmental’s groundbreaking product, the MouthPad, allows users to control their computer, smartphone, or tablet using tongue and head movements. The pressure-sensitive touchpad sits on the roof of the mouth and translates gestures into real-time cursor movements via Bluetooth.

“We have a large part of the brain devoted to controlling the tongue,” Vega explains. “The tongue’s muscles don’t fatigue quickly, so we leveraged that for the MouthPad.”

The MouthPad has already made a significant impact, helping users with spinal cord injuries gain independence. For instance, one user, living with quadriplegia and studying math and computer science, can now write formulas and take notes in the library, tasks that were challenging with other assistive devices.

“Our goal is to improve technology accessibility for everyone, making it as effective as using hands,” Vega says.

Making Computers More Accessible

Vega’s journey started at UC Berkeley and continued at MIT, where he developed various technologies to aid people with disabilities. His passion led him to co-found Augmental with Corten Singer, a colleague he met at Berkeley. At MIT’s Media Lab, Vega honed his skills in microfabrication, signal processing, and electronics, eventually creating wearable devices to help people access information, improve sleep, and regulate emotions.

Inspired by his internship at Neuralink, Vega decided to create a solution with the potential of a brain implant but without the associated limitations. His “lollipop with sensors” experiment at MIT proved the viability of mouth-based computer interaction, leading to the birth of the MouthPad.

Augmental customizes each MouthPad design using a 3D model of the user’s mouth, 3D printing the retainer with dental-grade materials and adding electronic components. Users can perform various actions like scrolling and clicking using tongue and head gestures, with alternatives for those with different levels of control.

“Our interface is multimodal to accommodate every condition,” Vega says.

Scaling the MouthPad

Currently, many of Augmental’s users have spinal cord injuries, but the device also benefits gamers, programmers, and others who require hands-free operation. The most frequent users interact with the MouthPad daily for up to nine hours, seamlessly integrating it into their lives.

Augmental is seeking FDA clearance to expand the MouthPad’s functionality, enabling control of wheelchairs and robotic arms. FDA approval will also facilitate insurance reimbursements, making the product more accessible.

Future versions of the MouthPad will respond to whispers and subtle movements, crucial for users with impaired lung function. Vega envisions Augmental as a universally beneficial tool, adaptable to the evolving digital landscape.

“We aim to provide an always-available, robust, and private interface to intelligence,” Vega says. “This could be the most expressive, wearable, hands-free operating system ever created.”

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