Vall d'Hebron tests a new system that allows people with reduced mobility to control electronic devices with their mouths

Vall d'Hebron has set up a pilot study to evaluate the usability of an innovative system developed by the company Aurax. The aim of this device, MouthX, is to enable people with reduced mobility in the upper limbs to use different electronic devices to regain autonomy.

This new technology, similar to a dental splint, is customised for each person and is fixed laterally to the teeth. It is invisible from the outside and can be connected to any compatible electronic device, such as mobile phones, tablets or computers, allowing it to be controlled by movements of the tongue, jaw and head.

In order to analyse the ease of use and safety of this device, four people with reduced mobility in the upper limbs have participated in a pilot study. Through interviews and questionnaires, the research team will study the usability and the real benefits it brings. “We hope that it will offer more autonomy and independence to people so that they can interact with their environment through digital tools. Thanks to MouthX they can communicate, work and enjoy more leisure time, which will improve their well-being”, explains Dr. Lluïsa Montesinos, head of the Spinal Cord Injury Unit of the Rehabilitation Service of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and head of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation group at VHIR.

Among the people who have tested the technology are volunteers with spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis. One of them is Armando Folgado, who has pentaplegia due to a spinal cord injury and has been the inspiration for the project, as well as being one of the partners of Aurax: "MouthX redefines how all people, without exception, can interact with technology without using their hands. This device allows me to have more autonomy, freedom and intimacy in a more comfortable way than those currently available".

The results will be analysed over the next few months and a multi-centre clinical trial is expected to be conducted later to evaluate MouthX as a medical device for people with upper limb movement difficulties of any cause.

Easier to use and faster than existing methods

Currently, there are other methods that allow people with reduced mobility to connect to electronic devices, but they have many limitations and are expensive. For example, technologies based on eye movement are slow and inefficient, and other oral systems require a lot of user effort and are not precise enough for tasks that require fine movements. The new system developed by Aurax is more economical than current systems, requires much less effort and offers more precise control and a much faster and more natural response.

"The idea for MouthX was born out of a real need. When I saw Armando controlling a radio-controlled car with a device that a professional engineer had built, I understood that technology should also be seen as a tool for inclusion. Since then, we have worked to go further and transform it into a solution that has a real impact on people's lives", explains Narcís Codina, founder of Aurax.