Allison interviews Virgie Hoban from Augmental about the innovative MouthPad device, which provides hands-free and more accessible control for personal electronic devices.
The MouthPad is smart mouthwear that enables hands-free control of your phone, computer, and tablet via a Bluetooth connection. Perched on the roof of your mouth, the device converts subtle tongue and head gestures into seamless cursor control and clicks.
MouthPad is used as a trackpad by sliding the tip of the tongue along its surface while tapping or sipping on the device designates left or right mouse clicks, respectively. Alternatively, MouthPad features a built-in motion sensor that detects subtle head movements to trigger trackpad selections or mouse clicks.
MouthPad works with your dentist or one of their dentist partners to perform a scan of the interior of your mouth, similar to how a dental night guard would be fitted. With these measurements, MouthPad is formed to fit snugly on the roof of your mouth.
MouthPad can run continuously off its internal battery for 5 hours and can be fully charged in about 1.5 hours. MouthPad supports macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android devices.
You can sign up to join the MouthPad waitlist at the link below.
The interview setting is the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference show floor at the Anaheim Hilton.
Learn more at https://www.augmental.tech/
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Transcript of Interview:
Allison: Virgie Hoban is here in the MouthPad booth and we’re looking at what looks like a mouth guard that you would get from the dentist. And I had to stop. It talks about hands-free control for your personal devices. Why don’t you tell us about the product?
Virgie Hoban: Yeah, so we call it smart mouthwear. Basically rethinking the computer mouse to put it on the roof of your mouth for hands-free, more accessible control to your devices. So it does look like a retainer.
Allison: Let’s hold it still for the camera for a moment. So we’re looking at something that’s got the impression of somebody’s teeth here. And there’s a little, that’s the trackpad there. And then what’s over on the side? That’s the controller?
Virgie Hoban: So that’s just tucked in all of our extra electronics, the battery, the Bluetooth enabled chip, and that’s our serpentine with some secret sauce where it can be customized for different mouth sizes. And then yeah, that’s the pressure sensitive touchpad.
Allison: So the problem this solves is you don’t have control of your hands and yet you want to control a mouse on a…
Virgie Hoban: Exactly.
Allison: …phone or a computer?
Virgie Hoban: Yeah. All of the devices that have become so sort of integral in our…
Allison: So Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, everything?
Virgie Hoban: Everything. Everything. Anything that accepts Bluetooth. So even extending to a smart TV, but yeah, all computers operate…
Allison: So it’s basically a human interface device, right?
Virgie Hoban: Yes. We are trying to push the boundaries of human computer interaction and just rethink what has been a very non-inclusive interface, which is a hand on the mouse, which has been around since like the 60s, I think.
Allison: Yeah. So you had it in a little case and I heard you describing to the previous gentleman that you go get fitted at the dentist for this?
Virgie Hoban: Yeah. So that’s one of my roles is I will call your dentist or one of our dental partners and then just say, “Hey, we have this device. Your patient needs one. Can you take their quick scan?” This is the standard intraoral scan you would get for a dental night guard.
Allison: Intraoral scan. I had to put a bunch of goo in my mouth. Do they scan now?
Virgie Hoban: It’s back in the olden days! Now, we are… No, sorry. We were doing that just a couple of years ago, but yeah, a new way is just a little wand scanner that goes inside and takes it.
Allison: Oh, I hated the goo. I hated that for a mouth guard.
Virgie Hoban: Yeah. Yeah. We don’t like it either.
Allison: So this just fits up on the upper palate then?
Virgie Hoban: Yeah. So I can show you.
Allison: She’s going to put it in her own mouth there. Okay. She just fitted it up on her teeth, so she’s got it in her mouth. Looks pretty comfortable. It looks like.
Virgie Hoban: I’ll show you this.
Allison:She’s opening up her phone and, oh, we just saw your passcode. So right now she’s moving her tongue around on the roof of her mouth and we’re watching the touch pad on the phone. An example of this is just a demonstration, right, of how it works. And then to select, would you just tap with your tongue?
Virgie Hoban: That’s right. Yeah, you just tap on the tongue. It’s pressure sensitive, so a left click is a tap with the tongue. A right click is a sip, negative pressure.
Allison: A sip. You mean… You suck on it. Oh my gosh, that’s really cool.
Virgie Hoban: Yeah, just wanting to add different dimensions. It’s also very customizable. You can choose either tongue tracking or head tracking because it’s got the motion sensors embedded as well. So if you do have neck mobility, you can use neck control, head control.
Allison: Oh wow, that is really cool. So is MouthPad on the market yet?
Virgie Hoban: Yeah, we started selling it last year. We’re currently prioritizing people who have disabilities or some level of hand impairment, but we’re looking forward to…
Allison: Yeah. Not just the lazy.
Virgie Hoban: Yeah, there’s also some cool applications for when your hands are busy, like surgeons or musicians actually. But yeah, for now, prioritizing people with hand impairments and we’ll be kicking off with our next production batch this summer.
Allison: And how much does it cost?
Virgie Hoban: It’s $1,500 and we work with a lot of different organizations to get it funded with assistive technology grants for folks.
Allison: Okay. People like the VA might be able to help out.
Virgie Hoban: Yeah, the VA, a lot of voc rehab programs, Easter Seals, different organizations.
Allison: Fantastic. This is fascinating. So where would people go to find MouthPad?
Virgie Hoban: So if you just go to our website, Augmental, like augment and mental, augmental.tech, T-E-C-H, and then on the top right, it’ll say, “Join the wait list,” and then we’ll screen all those entries. And if you have any kind of hand condition, then we’ll send you a purchase invitation soon in the next couple of months preparing for our public, sorry, the production launch this summer.
Allison: Okay. So augmental.tech is where we could go to learn more about MouthPad. Fantastic. Thank you so much for your time.
Virgie Hoban: Thank you so much. Thank you.
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