Powering a wheelchair...with your nose?!

The nose is essential helps you breathe and smell, and completes your five senses , but do you know what else your nose can be used for? Yes, you're right, powering a wheelchair (not that I would want anyone to ever have to use a wheelchair)! This wheelchair, created at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, was made mostly for people with serious physical impairments, allowing them to navigate the wheelchair or type out an email...using only their nose! With a pressure sensor at the end of a nasal tube and connected to a computer, the sensor will be able to detect when the person's soft palette of their nose opens or closes, enabling one to select letters just by sniffing. Anyone will be able to operate this device, including those with artificial respirators This wheelchair was built at $300, but the price is expected to lower once it goes on the market. The wheelchair currently has not been named yet.

This newly developed wheelchair relates to science concepts because researchers have came up with newly improved technology to help the physically impaired get around easier. Instead of just thinking only of the handicapped who can use their hands to navigate the wheelchair, this wheelchair was developed specially for people with serious physical impairments.

We care for this improvement in technology, because we may happen to know someone who is physically impaired, and knowing that there is the perfect device out there to help them, it will make life easier for those to be able to operate this device.

Source: http://news.discovery.com/tech/sniffing-powers-this-wheelchair.html