The American company Augmental announced the official launch of the MouthPad wireless device on the US market — a special «mouse» that allows you to control computers, smartphones and tablets using tongue, head and swallow movements. At the same time, the developers presented a beta version of the VOX portable microphone.
The American company Augmental announced the official launch of the MouthPad wireless device on the US market — a special «mouse» that allows you to control computers, smartphones and tablets using tongue, head and swallow movements. At the same time, the developers presented a beta version of the VOX portable microphone.
This is stated in the official statement of the company Augmental.
The MouthPad is custom-made for each user and fits over the upper teeth like a thin orthodontic appliance. A pressure-sensitive trackpad sits on the roof of the mouth and, combined with head motion sensors, allows hands-free cursor movement, clicks, and page flipping. All gestures can be customized in the companion app.
The developers have also updated the device to its second generation. The new version allows you to assign your own keyboard shortcuts, use the trackpad instead of the WASD keys for games and 3D modeling, works for over seven hours on a single charge, and connects to multiple devices simultaneously.
During testing, the device demonstrated a cursor control speed of 10.47 bits per second. This is comparable to the performance of modern implanted brain-computer interfaces, but the MouthPad is completely non-invasive and does not require surgical intervention.
«I play games better, work faster, and life just got easier. And the best part is that when I use my computer, I no longer feel like my limitations are holding me back,» said screener analyst Thomas Baptista, who uses MouthPad every day.
There are currently over 6,300 people on the waiting list to purchase the MouthPad, including surgeons, technicians, pianists, and people with motor impairments.
Along with the mouse, the startup introduced the VOX pendant microphone. The device is attached to the skin and reads sound not only from the air, but also through body tissues. This allows you to effectively cut off background noise and dictate text even in a quiet whisper. In the future, Augmental plans to combine both technologies to create a completely silent speech system, where artificial intelligence will read commands based on quiet sounds and patterns of tongue movements.
«Technology should adapt to people, not the other way around,» said Augmental CEO and co-founder Thomas Vega.
The first trials of the MouthPad began as part of an early access program in 2024. Since then, more than 100 people with musculoskeletal disorders have used the device, some of whom work with it for up to 16 hours a day. All profits from the first beta batch of VOX microphones will be used to fund the MouthPad for people in need.
Previously, Embodied AI Engineer Robert Dale Smith showed off the MouthPad device, which allows you to control digital devices using head and tongue movements in the video game Rocket League .
