Sniff-Controlled Keyboards, Wheelchairs Invented

People who are paralyzed from the neck down might finally get a better outlook on life all because of a new electric wheelchair and by sniffing into tubes. The roof of your mouth, or soft palate, is usually not affected by injuries and disorders that leave people paralyzed so it is able to recieve certain signals by nerves from sniffing. Quadriplegics, people who have all four limbs paralyzed or their whole body below the neck, were able to write emails and surf around the web. People who were "locked-in", or someone who is completely paralyzed, were also able to communicate in these ways all by wearing a sniff controler.

This article relates to science and biology because it discusses how paralyzed people are able to recieve signals from the roof of their mouth by sniffing. The sniffing has to do with specific motions in the back of your mouth. Without this ability scientists wouldn't have been able to come up with this new technology which is potentially life changing.

We should care because this could change life as we know it. There are some people who haven't written anything in five, ten, or even more years because of being paralyzed but with these new electric wheelchairs and sniffing controlers some of those people are now writing emails, letters, and surfing the web. With even more research into this scientists can make this sniff controller even more effective.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/07/100728-science-technology-sniff-control-wheelchair-paralyzed-locked-in/