A nasal mask that allows severely disabled people to drive wheelchairs and write text messages by sniffing has been developed by Israeli scientists.
The "sniff controller" measures changes in nasal pressure, which occur when the soft palate (the soft area at the back of the roof of the mouth) is repositioned, according to researchers at the Weizmann Institute.
Researchers conducted the study on 96 healthy and 15 severely disabled people who were taught to sniff in different ways to send various electrical signals to a controller.
The study found that healthy people were able to play computer games with the device. Quadriplegic patients managed were able to write text messages and control electric wheelchairs, and completely paralysed people who are "locked in" were able to use the devices to produce text messages.
One woman communicated for the first time in seven months and another wrote for the first time in a decade, researchers said.
The device is yet to be tested in disorders of consciousness, including the vegetative state.
The Weizmann Institute has filed for a patent on sniff-controlled technology, according to Webmed.
