San Diego, CA

Quadriplegic among first users of tongue-driven trackpad invented by San Diego native

Published

2 years ago

June 15, 2024

Quadriplegic among first users of tongue-driven trackpad invented by San Diego native

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Have you ever controlled a tech device using your tongue? It’s now a reality and is changing lives for those who are paralyzed.

The device, MouthPad, by the company Augmental, is co-founded by Corten Singer, a San Diego native and Point Loma High School’s Class of 2012 Valedictorian and co-captain of the school’s surf team.

The device, first brainstormed in 2019 after Corten and his co-founder had graduated from UC Berkley, officially launched in 2023. It’s now in the mouths of a few dozen people, including Clairemont Resident Mike Hastings.

“Humans are remarkably adaptable,” Hastings said.

He’s had to adapt after diving into a swimming pool at 20 years old and hitting the bottom, paralyzing him from the neck down.

“I can’t move from the neck down, just my shoulder, my fingers and hands, I cannot move,” he said.

Over the last 26 years, he’s tried ways to make his daily tasks easier, and through the decades, he’s seen a lot of technology change.

“Alexa, set volume to 4,” Hastings said Amazon’s voice command system is the best he’s used and he’s used nearly all of them.

The thermostat and lights in his garage, which turned into an adaptive place for him to work and hangout with his friends, are also voice-controlled.

While certain things have become easier thanks to technology, the way he’s used his computer hasn’t changed since he came home from the hospital in 1999.

He’s used a “mouth stick,” it’s a device that looks like a bite guard, attached to a stick that he uses to peck a keyboard and swipe on a trackpad. He said he helped him graduate with two degrees, one in Physics and one in Computer Science, and it’s been the only way for him to do his job in cyber security, because voice commands don’t typically work when you are writing the “gibberish” that brilliant minds call computer coding.

“This stick I have to sit up right to use it,” Hastings explained that if he sits upright, it negatively impacts his blood pressure, and he could only be on the computer for about 45 minutes at a time. He said he has always been worried that he would drop the stick out of his mouth and would have to call someone to pick it up for him. But, it’s been his way of life for years.

And 25 years later, there’s finally something easier.

“Lots of things have come across my work station, but nothing has got me to change from the ‘mouth stick,’ and then the MouthPad came,” Hastings added.

The MouthPad is a track pad on a mouth, which is molded to the user, letting users control devices with their tongue or with their head movements.

Hastings is one of the first 40 people to test it out.

“You can use the computer just as well as anyone else who can use the computer with their fingers and keyboard,” he explained.

“Think of this just like the trackpad on your laptop except this has been transformed into a smaller form factor that rests on the rood of your mouth, so instead of your finger it’s actually the tongue,” Singer said. “A lot of it stars with its roots in accessibility and basically improving quality of life and providing universal and equitable access to the digital world that has grown to be such a huge part of our lives.”

Mike Hastings also helps other quadriplegics and trains them on how to use adaptive equipment, and he said he can’t wait to recommend the MouthPad so more people can use it.

“Humans are very remarkable and the face that they can adapt to any situation so the fact that my body doesn’t move is kind of irrelevant now,” he added.

Augmental is going through a waitlist determining the most needed users first. The cost is around $1,500, but hope to work with insurance companies to get it covered under healthcare policies.

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San Diego, CA

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

Published

10 minutes ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

When we think of May, we think of Mother’s Day, blooming flowers, sunny skies, and lots of fun, seasonal events in the city. This month, locals can dine on the creations of James Beard Award-Winning Chefs at Rancho Bernardo Inn, or take advantage of berry season at the annual Vista Strawberry Festival. Theatre lovers can enjoy a showing of Kim’s Convenience at The Old Globe, while the San Diego Natural History Museum invites art enthusiasts to view its latest marine-themed exhibit. Grab your tickets and crack open that planner. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this month:

Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Month

29

Louisiana legend Juvenile, enhances by the live instrumentation of The 400 Degreez Band, will perform career hits and his newest album, Boiling Point, at House of Blues San Diego.

Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz

Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Month

5/5–6/1

Turning the spotlight on contemporary LGBTQ artists, the inaugural ArtSpectrum 2026 will showcase both the grand and intimate scale of contemporary painters, photographers, and mixed media artists at Village Arts Outreach in Balboa Park.

12–24

The only ordinary element of the San Diego International Fringe Festival is the constant thrill of the extraordinary. Discover a plethora of innovative performances at venues from Pacific Beach to Baja.

5/15–6/14

A Korean-Canadian family balances tradition and assimilation from their Toronto storefront in Ins Choi’s comforting satire Kim’s Convenience, making its local premier at The Old Globe.

5/22–2/2027

Ocean debris will receive a new beginning at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Using repurposed pollution, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea depicts creatively sculpted marine life.

More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month

4/30–5/3

Enjoy fine dining at its finest from a lineup of gastronomic titans during 54 Hours with James Beard Award-Winning Chefs. Savor elegant meals, masterclasses, tastings, and more at Rancho Bernardo Inn.

2

Unlimited bites, regional craft beers, and animal observations are on the menu for San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew (with live music), a culinary evening in support of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance.

7

Spend An Evening with David Sedaris, humorist, essayist, and best-selling author. Never afraid to point the pen at himself, Sedaris will share old favorites and works in progress in the classic satirical style he’s known for at Jacobs Music Center.

15–17

Say cheese! And toast to the Cheese & Libation Expo. Explore three days of all-you-can eat and drink fare at BRICK, along with boutique shopping and bountiful pairings.

PARTNER CONTENT

10 Years In, Puffer and Malarkey Are Just Getting Started

Elevating an Icon: Inside the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Clu…

16

Stroll the private grounds of several luxurious homes, accompanied by live music, tabletop designs, and outdoor artistry, during the Secret Garden Tour, La Jolla Historical Society‘s flora and fauna fundraiser.

24

Vista recalls its days as a strawberry-producing superpower through its free Strawberry Festival. Wear your berry best fit, watch film screenings, and enter contests for shortcake, pie, and sundae indulging.

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San Diego, CA

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Published

12 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Last week Mayor Todd Gloria released the budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal budget. Protected homeless services is among his top priorities mentioned in the proposal. However, some of the reductions he’s proposing could impact thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness.

Located on 17^th and K Street, the Neil Good Day Center offers an array of services to nearly seven thousand people experiencing homelessness. The services include giving them a place to shower and do laundry, and connecting them to a case manager, among others.

“These are critical services that are helping people off the streets, but really better their lives and their health and their employment situation as well,” Deacon Vargas with Father Joe’s Villages said.

Deacon Jim Vargas heads Father Joe’s Villages, which runs the center. He said through their prevention and diversion strategies, they’ve managed to keep nearly one thousand individuals from falling into homelessness.

“So by helping them pay rent, or helping them with their utilities, or helping them to reunite with family,” Vargas said.

Right now, the city allocates at least $850,000 per year to the Neil Good Day Center, according to Vargas.

But the future and funding for these services are in limbo because of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts.

“The impact to those whom we’ve been serving the Daily Center would be very severe,” Deacon Vargas said.

In a statement to NBC 7, Mayor Todd Gloria said in part, “We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing.”

Since it’s still at a proposal stage, Deacon Vargas said it’s unclear how the city will decide to move forward.

However, Deacon Vargas said services would be significantly reduced because they would be forced to operate solely on a budget of about half a million dollars they receive from philanthropy.

“The hours would be cut. Some days would be cut. We would have showers that might be impacted because they’re given seven days a week and we’d close two days a week, then the showers would be five days a week, the case management,” Deacon Vargas said.

Deacon Vargas is certain of one thing.

He would like to continue offering services at the Day Center, even if the city goes through with the funding cuts.

“As we work with individuals at the Day Center and at Father Joe’s Villages, the community becomes healthier as a result of it,” Deacon Vargas said.

The budget also recommends additional cuts to homeless services, but does not give specifics as to where those cuts would be.

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