There are fantastic moments when we realise technology is doing more than just entertain and excite us, it's actually making our lives better. In the case of a new voice controlled wheelchair developed by Think-a-Move, technology is raising the quality of life for anyone getting around on two wheels. Think-a-Move (TAM) have combined the low-cost and small form factor of the UMPC with their own proprietary technology; using the human ear as an output source for voice command to control a wheelchair.Responding to commands such as 'forward' and 'reverse' the wheelchair interfaces via a software layer with the built in UMPC, resulting in the fluid operation of the wheelchair without a single physical motion from the user. Currently a wired connection transmits the signals between the earpiece and the UMPC, but according to their whitepaper Think-a-Move will be migrating to a Bluetooth wireless solution in the near future.
It's got innovation written all over it and just goes to show that the uses of the UMPC are still being unearthed every day. To check out some video footage of the wheelchair in action head to ultramobile.com