The MouthPad

MIT Media Lab spinoff Augmental, an innovative hardware startup focused on creating human-first experiences that enhance everyday interactions with digital devices and interfaces, today announces the launch of the MouthPad^ — a groundbreaking innovation that allows people to control devices purely through the movement of their tongue. The hardware company’s first device aims to push the boundaries of hands-free computing making technology more human.

As a fully bespoke, smart intra-oral interface, customized to the user’s mouth with the ability to connect to several personal devices, this cutting-edge product is set to usher in a new frontier for hands-free technology.

By tapping into the under-explored interactive potential of the tongue, the MouthPad^ is part of an exciting new wave of accessible tech products set to emerge from Silicon Valley. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion people – or 16% of the global population – experience a significant disability today, which constitutes the disability community as one of the world’s largest underserved groups. According to a study by the CDC, nearly 1 in 50 people live with paralysis, or approximately 5.4 million people.

While eye-tracking technology, ‘pure’ voice assistance, and even lip-controlled joysticks all offer degrees of hands-free access to the digital world, users can be left frustrated, fatigued, or with damage to their teeth. There is a clear need for more technological innovation regarding how we control current and forthcoming digital devices without our hands.