Bangalore-based Farheen tells us how some gadget, app, or a device is empowering differently-abled people. Read more about these, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.
It’s heartening to know that with each passing day, Special people, who are physically challenged (read differently-abled) are being empowered by different technological advancements. These days, some gadget, app, or a device is making these Special people go beyond their imaginations.
Here is a quick look at how technology is creating ripples in the lives of the people, who found it difficult to perform day-to-day chores or become independent. With technology, Special people are getting more engaged in the world nowadays.
Dot Watch
Have you ever assisted a visually challenged person on the street? You would know how important it becomes to help them cross the road or help them to climb the stairs.
A South Korean startup, Dot, has spent three years developing its world’s first Braille smartwatch for the visually impaired. The launch of Dot has changed the way visually impaired people had to deal with many of the tasks daily.
Dot watch has a battery life of up to seven days, displays four Braille characters in real time on its dial can set the alarm, check saved messages, and Learn Braille functions. In addition, it helps the user set up to two vibration alarms at a time. The saved messages feature allows storing up to 100 messages on the Dot Watch App message database. With the Learn Braille feature, the user can send texts from your smartphone to the Dot Watch to display the texts in Braille.
The Dot watch is here to stay and to know more about this uber-cool watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fk9EIrNGsc.
Here is another incredible device called the Finger Reader, designed by researchers at MIT’s Media Lab. We have all heard the phrase, “Let your finger do the talking”, but this unique helps the user read printed text in a book or on an electronic device, and to be used as a language translation tool. This device can be worn on the index finger and move the finger back and forth over a book or any electronic device, such as Kindle. This will help the user read one line at a time.
The camera on this device scans the text and gives real-time audio feedback of the words it detects. It also notifies the reader, through vibrations, about the part of the sentence the reader is on, such as first part or the middle or the end of a sentence.
Watch this video to see how this device is changing the way special readers read the text:
AXS Map
AXS Map (access map), created by Jason DaSilva, provides freedom to be spontaneous about choices – where to eat, shop, work or play. AXS Map creates a community of people, who care about access and opens doors to a new world. AXS Map is available online or via mobile web, as well as Android and iPhone applications.
This tool helps the differently abled people know the levels of accessibility the establishment offers to the people, who use wheelchair accessible vehicle. The levels of accessibility a person can know are, for example, if the restaurant does not have steps to enter but the ramp is too steep, the entrance ramp has an easily navigable incline, whether the place that the person wants to access has steps, narrow doorways, cracked sidewalks and impossibly long ramps. AXS Maps are changing the world for many people. Check out this video to see the change:
UNI
This next generation of the tool for the hearing-impaired people. This device helps people who are not able to hear with those who can hear communicate with each other. UNI is a small, portable, and elegant mobile device that tracks your hands in live-time, and translates your signs to spoken English.
Watch this video to see how the silent world can become lively with this device.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqAbOZMZp_E.
Liftware Steady – Smart Robotic Spoon
Liftware Steady is a self-stabilising handle that allows the person to attach an eating utensil like a fork or spoon. It is very helpful for patients, who suffer from cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, Huntington’s disease, and post-stroke deficits that cause hand tremors. Liftware stabilises up to 70% of the disruption and helps reduce the spilling of contents from the utensil before food reaches the patient’s mouth.
Each Liftware comes with the stabilizing handle, a charger and three utensils, a spoon, fork and soup spoon. Each charge can last for several meals and the handle can be wiped down while the spoons and fork are dishwasher safe. Watch this amazing video to see how people suffering from tremors can eat food independently without spilling the food:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtFqy5RdkT22N5X_q-9vl1g
With technology, nothing is impossible. Technology is giving hopes with many devices, apps, hardware and software that have already been built. Many others are waiting for the future of technology that will help us bridge gaps to add cheer into many peoples’ lives.
©Farheen Viquas
Photos and video links sourced by the author from the Net.
#TechnologyForSpecialNeeds #HearingImpairedTechnology #BrailleSmartwatch #TechnologyForLife #DotWatch #AXSMap #UNI #RoboticSpoon #LiftwareSteady #DifferentTruths
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