I recently saw an Instagram reel where a cool as heck kid was liking and scrolling past videos with a whistle toy in her mouth. Another TikTok video had a kid nailing a touch-ased musical game on an iPad with her feet. As the old saying goes, laziness is the mother of all inventions.
Augmental, spun off from the MIT, wants to do one better. Say hello to the MouthPad aka the gizmo that treats your tongue as an 11th finger. The company calls it a tongue-driven interface that lets you navigate through the software on your phone, tablet, or even a computer.
It looks futuristically nerdy, of course, but stays nearly invisible. And it won’t make you sound like Darth Vader with a lisp. The idea behind MouthPad is pretty simple.
You put it inside your mouth. Then use your tongue.
Shaped like a pair of sci-fi teeth mould, this transparent gizmo has a touch and pressure-sensitive touchpad area right where it touches the roof of your mouth. Or as the company says, MouthPad can “can put all the power of a conventional touchpad at the tip of your tongue.
Take a look:
Today, we unveil the first public demo of the MouthPad^: smart mouthware for hands-free computer control.
— Augmental (@augmentaltech) January 5, 2024
Witness Corbin swiftly navigate Google Maps on his phone using only subtle tongue movements.
Cursor control, clicks, and swipes: full access. pic.twitter.com/ogX0DUmJE3
Pairing it won’t be a hassle, either, as it supports multiple device platforms and relies on Bluetooth to establish a connection with your screen-y devices. Also, just in case you had any reservations with the fit of your pearly whites, Augmental actually customises the MouthPad for each person’s unique oral munching cave.
You actually need to send a 3D mould and the company will make a MouthPad for you that’s a perfect fit. It lasts for around five hours on a single charge, and takes a couple of hours to fully juice up when placed in the supplied charging case.
The only bad part? You can’t share the MouthPad, like you would, for a regular mouse or keeb. After all, who wants to put a gadget marinated in someone else’s saliva into their mouth? But then, humans are known to do worse. Maybe, just maybe!
The team also envisions it as a great device for folks living with neurodegenerative problems or those with motion coordination issues that keeps them from using devices like a phone or laptop. So, there's that. Right now, MouthPad is in an early access stage with no word on a final price for the masses.