New head control for quadriplegic patients.

Our main objective in carrying out this project was to provide the quadriplegic patient, who cannot use his arms, with means of control over his direct environment. Residual head motion was considered to be adequate, first, to control an electric wheelchair and, second, to extend that same control to an orthotic device which may include an active elbow and a prehension orthosis . The latter is still an ongoing project. In our latest developed myoelectric proportional pulse control system, provisions were included in the design to accommodate either myoelectric control signal or displacement tranducers with the ultimate goal to control prostheses and orthoses and, with some adaptations, an electric wheelchair (1) . In the meantime, private firms have included in their commercial items electronic proportional controlled wheelchairs. Due to this factor and also at the urgent request of our clinical staff, it was decided to use the Everest & Jennings model 33 hand-controlled electric wheelchair, with our incorporating the necessary modifications for the integration of our projected head control unit.