Prosthetic communication device.

A code-generating and display system is described which permits an individual who has lost vocal voluntary motor ability to communicate. The subject sustained severe brain damage in an automobile accident which left him without the power of speech or any significant motor ability, although he is not by definition quadriplegic. He lacks reliable control of eye blink, and the oral movements associated with sucking and blowing are severely impaired; thus, the usual foundations upon which prosthetic devices for quadriplegic patients are designed were not applicable in this case. The subject is confined to a bed, wheelchair, or an exercise table. The system described here has provided the subject with a simple and reliable means of communicating with his family and it permits him to communicate with persons who do not know the Morse code.