A Sniff is all it Takes

A new and promising device developed by Israeli researchers could help paralyzed people do routine tasks that were once nearly impossible for them to do. Testing of this latest device allowed completely paralyzed subjects of the research to steer a wheelchair, write letters or surf the internet.

 The device, which looks like oxygen tubes used by patients, monitors fine movements made by the mouth and nose when inhaling air to help paralyzed persons control machines like wheelchairs and computers.

 According to a news report by Reuters, the researchers reported to the National Academy of Sciences that their device is more effective than other devices, like blink detectors, used by paralyzed people. The same report says that the researchers thought of the idea when they observed that the velum has many nerves that are connected to the brain. The velum is partly responsible in controlling breathing.

 In their tests, a 51-year-old woman who previously could not communicate using eye blinks wrote a letter to her family for the first time since she was paralyzed.

 Noam Sobel, the lead researcher of the team from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, told Reuters that, "The most stirring tests were those we did with locked-in syndrome patients. These are people with unimpaired cognitive function who are completely paralyzed -- 'locked into' their bodies,"

 The research also documents an amazing feat by a paralyzed 30-year-old who guided a wheelchair using the device. The team claims that a paralyzed person can learn to accurately drive a wheelchair with their device with as little as 15 minutes of practice. This could pave the way for an easier time for paralyzed people to spend some time outdoors.