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Controller for quadratic friend.

thematman92

So I am trying to make a controller for a friend who is quadratic ( no motor function below the neck) I want the controller to be operated by mouth. The idea is the controller will be like a mouth guard that you can bite on and use your tongue to manipulate.

I want there to be a dpad in the front you came manipulate with your tongue as well as start/select buttons.  Then a A and B button on either side you can bite to activate. I them want a rubber shell it goes into that can be removed and cleaned due to the fact that it's going into someone's mouth and should be cleaned

I don't know a lot about electrical stuff but I can solder and read some schematics so I think I can do this but I was hoping some one one here could help me select the things I'll need. Such as buttons that are sturdy enough l, a material I can build it on that can stand up to being bitten a lot. I also have no idea how to make a rubber shell for it. If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it.

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  • Matthew sounds like you have quite a challenge on your hands!

     

    I assume you have gone with the "in mouth" solution as you know your friend's abilities, and have established that is the best solution for them. On that basis, I would be thinking a matrix of buttons that are somewhere between a blister keyboard or membrane keyboard moulded in silicone. Then running the wires externally to the electronics, this way you can make the mouth part "disposable" to a degree?

     

    I have no grounds or experience in mould making or anything alike! But I think making a mould of his mouth that you can recreate any prototypes in, and creating a 2 part mould that you can set each side of the blister buttons into, and cast them together?

     

    The electronics side should be pretty straightforward if you can make the buttons work. Do you have a desired platform/controller you are looking to connect this up to?

  • in reply to a531016

    I was going to start with a NES due to there only being 8 buttons (a, b, start, select, and dpad)

     

    The reason I went with in mouth  is just because I had this thought for a controller while drunk last night and write it out on here. FYI that's why I misspelled quadriplegic.

     

    I think making a mold would be good  but I've never done that I also don't know what material would be sturdy but also not poisonous

  • in reply to thematman92

    Some of the best ideas have come about while drunk!

     

    I know you can get a dentil moulding "epoxy". It comes as a two-part putty that you mix together by hand and it starts to cure, that will be safe to take an impression of her mouth to work from. From that make an epoxy resin positive that you can model off of. I would then model the insert in oil-based modelling clay? then take a cast in something like plaster. From that you can then cast in food-safe silicone (which you can buy in tubes like calk)? I actually did something kind of similar to make a cyclops eye for a costume a few years back!

     

    With the wires and contact pads set into the silicone, the electronics external, and the plaster mould available, you can make more as they need to be replaced? Of course, being young she'll need a new one as she grows and adult teeth come in.

     

    The only other thing I can think of, is thinking about the button layout. Right and A are likely to be the most common combination, so I would put those together, not necessarily U-D-L-R start A B? But i guess that depends on the games she is likely to play?

  • in reply to a531016

    I know I will have to build more as she grows but i want the design to be simple enough to be recreated as she grows.

     

    As far as button lay out goes the a and b will be on either side of the mouth and the d pad and select will be in the front so they can be pressed by the tongue.

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