When 5-year-old Henry received a GoBabyGo car from the local Alberta chapter of international organization, Variety, the Children’s Charity, his family never imagined he would one day drive it using the power of his mind.
What started as a trip to Toys ‘R’ Us for Cole Galloway, professor at the University of Delaware, turned into an international movement when he realized that an off-the-shelf power wheel toy car – with a few modifications – could give kids as young as one-year-old living with a variety of mobility impairments, the opportunity to play.
This movement, pegged GoBabyGo, has since been adopted worldwide creating a community or GoBabyGo ‘Nation’ of sorts, with build programs across the globe.
In its early days, the Glenrose participated in one of those build programs when a hospital physical therapist led the I CAN Centre for Assistive Technology and pediatric physical therapy teams in building a series of modified cars. Each car was given to a Glenrose family.
Corinne Tuck, occupational therapist and clinical practice lead at the Glenrose, had big ideas on how these cars could be used in the future.
“I thought, what if we could actually BCI one of these cars?” says Corinne.
Brain-computer interface, or BCI, is a rapidly advancing technology that allows individuals to control devices with their minds. Users wear a special headset that picks up brain signals and sends them to a computer to control devices like video games, smart home technology, and now, power wheel cars.
For kids like Henry who live with complex mobility and communication challenges, the potential of this technology is huge.
Henry, who was born with GM3 synthase deficiency – a rare neurological condition that affects his brain’s ability to develop – experiences symptoms like impaired vision and lost motor function.
As part of Variety, the Children’s Charity of Alberta’s program, he received a sponsored GoBabyGo car but due to the complexities of his condition, wasn’t able to drive it independently. Until BCI.
“When Henry first drove his car using BCI, he drove around the whole basement of Glen East for 40 minutes. For the first time, he drove on his own.”
When Henry’s parents Monika and Jeff saw just how transformative these vehicles were, Jeff’s company, Sandy Oilfield Services, and Variety Alberta, donated a car just like his to the Glenrose’s BCI Program and I CAN Centre.
The car will be used like an assessment vehicle. “We want other kids like Henry who have tried the GoBabyGo and haven’t been successful, or otherwise wouldn’t have access to one, to have the opportunity to try it with their therapists.”
By having a car in the hospital, clinicians will be able to make modifications to suit each child’s needs with the hope of being able to recommend more families to the program.
Henry currently uses BCI to power his car forward, but its capabilities also allow for switch control to turn the car left and right.
To-date, using BCI for power mobility hasn’t been safe to use outside of a clinical setting. Corinne notes that this car offers a real opportunity to get BCI power mobility out into the community.
And the benefit of using power wheel cars, they’re manufactured for rough and tumble regular kid use, making them the perfect vehicle for what Corinne calls, ‘play mobility.’
“There’s not a lot of things in Henry’s world where he has independence. Things are done to him, for him, and on his behalf. But there’s not a lot of points in his life where he actually has a full say in something and is able to do it independently. And this will give him that benefit.” says Monika.
Since the program first started, Variety Alberta has given away over 350 GoBabyGo cars, 77 of those just in the last year.
By pairing the GoBabyGo with BCI, Corinne hopes that kids will not only have earlier access to power mobility but also be able to enjoy this experience outside of the clinic and lab.
And for Henry, he now has the freedom to drive and make the choice – on his own – to go.
