Ten years in the past, I wrote an article for NEW MOBILITY about Google’s supposedly revolutionary Glass headset and what it’d provide for wheelchair customers. I had plenty of enjoyable testing out the futuristic-looking system, however wasn’t positive what its future regarded like. I closed the article with a quote from a Google staffer who promised, “We’re going to find out about issues that Glass may help folks do this we do not know about now.”

In case you’ve forgotten or by no means heard about Glass, it was a light-weight headset hooked up to a glasses body, with a built-in visible show that allow you to make calls, take photos and movies, and entry social media hands-free, utilizing voice, head tilt or different controls. Two years after my article, Google stopped making Glass for the general public.

I forgot about my headset — packed away in its felt pouch behind my closet — till final yr. A consultant for a German firm had despatched a message via the NM web site touting “a brand new expertise combining sensible glasses to assist electrical wheelchair drivers management their wheelchair (hands-free) via a minimalist head management system by way of Bluetooth.” After I noticed the photographs on their website, the system regarded identical to a Glass, and extra importantly, it appeared to permit customers to manage their energy chairs by merely tilting their heads.

The corporate, munevo, had been working in Europe for 3 years and was getting ready to convey their product, munevo DRIVE, to the U.S. Having heard quite a few mates rant about their frustrations with present hands-free management choices for energy chairs, I used to be excited to listen to a couple of new option to safely drive for many who can’t use arms or palms.

The headset has been exhibited at Skills Expos across the U.S., and munevo supplied one to NEW MOBILITY so I might strive it and get suggestions from different testers.

Promising Potential

Utilizing the glasses is about as near plug-and-play as you can find in the case of hands-free setups, however you’ll need an assistive expertise skilled to attach the adapter to your chair and configure the setup and pace changes. DRIVE is presently appropriate with most newer Permobil, Dawn Medical, Invacare and Q-Logic chairs, however test earlier than buying.

As an avid gamer, I discovered the head-tilt management system straightforward to be taught and felt snug driving at sluggish speeds inside minutes. Every consumer calibrates how a lot head tilt is required to drive, a pleasant characteristic that ought to present customers with all ranges of head motion ample management. I set mine to answer extra pronounced actions whereas my co-tester configured it for smaller gestures. “Driving with the system took just a little little bit of getting used to, although tilting your head within the route you wish to journey was intuitive, and with follow a driver can navigate fairly nimbly,” she mentioned.

We each discovered the headset snug, even for longer intervals of time. It’s surprisingly secure, even with the tilting. The visible menu, used to vary settings, has a clear interface and is simple to make use of when you get used to wanting up and to the appropriate for the prism that gives the visible show. The menu additionally has audio prompts that make it simpler to make use of whereas driving. That is useful while you wish to ensure you’ve toggled out of drive mode or switched between ahead and reverse.

My co-tester thought DRIVE supplied extra freedom and management than her experiences with head arrays or sip-and-puff, however apprehensive about battery life and connectivity. “I prefer to exit and keep out, and I wasn’t capable of go full days with no need a cost,” she mentioned. Whereas plugging the glasses right into a USB port isn’t an enormous inconvenience, what with extra chairs offering them today, she mentioned that it does cut back your independence.

In mild of latest revelations about Bluetooth connectivity issues with the Permobil SmartDrive, it’s value mentioning that neither of us had any points with our chairs disobeying our instructions or flying uncontrolled. I reached out to munevo to see if they’ve an override answer just like the SmartDrive SpeedControl dial. Independence isn’t potential with out security. Chief expertise officer and munevo co-founder Aashish Trivedi responded: “The Bluetooth connection between the smartglass and our adapter is safe and encrypted, and our product additionally has been examined in line with the medical system requirements to make sure that the Bluetooth connection is dependable with out interruptions.”

The munevo DRIVE is an thrilling addition to obtainable hands-free management choices. “Having an progressive new option to the usual various drive choices the place a joystick can’t be used is nice,” my co-tester mentioned. “It’s cool how they’ve leveraged present gyroscopic capabilities in Google glasses to construct a product for wheelchair customers that has the potential to make controlling different digital units like your cellphone as straightforward as tilting your head.”

he was referring to munevo PHONE, an app that permits customers to manage their telephones by way of the identical headset interface. The app is free along with your DRIVE. Different add-ons that permit customers to manage a wide range of dwelling and adaptive home equipment can be found for buy.

For pricing or to guide a demo, go to munevo.com/en.