New 'Tongue Drive System' for Wheelchairs

Via Wired (read their article for the rest of the story):

Quadriplegics may gain a new degree of freedom via their tongues, if a new control system becomes widely available.

The new system uses that famously strong, agile and sensitive muscle, the tongue, to provide computer accessibility and wheelchair control to severely disabled people.

Designed by researchers for people with debilitating spinal cord injuries and diseases, the tongue-drive tech takes advantage of the nearly direct connection between the tongue and the brain via cranial nerves, which makes it particularly likely to remain functional, even after severe accidents.