Assistive Technology Blog

App That Helps Visually Impaired People Take Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:13:00 +0000

Dustin Adams, a PhD student at the University of California, has recently created an app that lets blind/visually impaired photographers take pictures with their phones. Tackling common questions like "I don't know if I am focussed correctly", "I am unable to distinguish buttons on my camera unless I pull out my magnifier", and several lighting questions among various other things, the app makes taking pictures a breeze. A photo can be taken by a simple upward swipe on the phone screen. It detects all the faces in the frame and speaks the number out to the photographer so they know if all the subjects are in the photo. There are audio cues that help the photographer keep the main shot in the frame and focus.

The app also records a 30 second audio to help the photographer remember who is in the shot as well as GPS data that tracks which city/neighborhood the picture was taken in. From the screenshots available in the research paper, it looks like this app is being made for iOS.

Do read the very interesting paper that Dustin Adams published to find out survey results and all the effort and direction that was put in this app to make it a success.

Source: NewScientist, University of California at Santa Cruz via Engadget
Photo source: Mundobit

I-Limb Ultra: Prosthetic Hand Controlled By iPhone App

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:31:00 +0000

Someone once sad ‘there’s an app for that,’ and they weren’t wrong! In today’s society, everyday life is being made easier by apps on smart phones which can do anything from letting us check our bank balance on the move to helping us avoid the traffic on the school run. But the category that has shown the biggest boom in downloads are the medical apps. These range from apps that can help patients to control their long term illnesses, to apps that can allow doctors to visualise their patient’s x-ray radiographs on the move.

One app that has made a big difference to patient’s lives is the iBGStar Diabetes Manager, and other
apps like it. They are used by diabetic patients to measure their blood sugar levels and keep track of previous reading to ensure they have good control over their condition. This is not only easier for the patient than the old ‘diary’ method of recording their blood sugars, but it can help their doctors to see how treatment is working for their patient and whether it needs to be changed.

The award for the most innovative and life changing app must go to the i-Limb Ultra from Touch Bionics: the app is connected to a bionic prosthetic hand via Bluetooth and users can select different ‘grips’ for any specific tasks they need to do. Sounds like something out of a movie, right? That’s what 16 year old Patrick Kane thought when he was fitted with the bionic hand. He lost his
hand as a baby due to meningococcal septicaemia, but because of this revolutionary new device he is able to live a normal life again, something that we often take for granted. The hand allows Patrick to carry out movements that are so precise they have not been possible with a normal prosthetic in the past: he can now hold a glass, pick up a piece of paper and tie his shoelaces with the touch of a button on his iPhone.

The limb can be controlled by electrical signals in muscles as well as by the iPhone, but this does take some practice to master as Patrick has already learned: "Controlling the hand feels very natural, although it does take a bit longer to learn how to use the automatic grips and gestures, so it was very useful to be able to work with the Touch Bionics therapist on these skills."

This innovation is a huge step for people like Patrick. At the moment the limb is still very expensive, between £30,000 and £80,000, but this technology means that in the not so distant future people that have lost a limb will be able to have the same quality of life as those who haven’t been so unlucky.

You can read the full article here.

This article was written by Niqui Stubbs, a 4^th year medical student with a love of gadgets and technology. She has worked with people who have lost a limb and knows the huge impact a bionic limb like this can have on someone’s life.

Samsung Demonstrates Tablet That Can Be Controlled By Brain

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:38:00 +0000

Samsung has taken the mobile industry by storm in the last couple of years with its very successful Galaxy S III phone and the Galaxy Tab/ Note tablets. Competitive pricing and an easy to use UI (besides the world famous brand) are what set them apart from the rest.

It is now planning to take regular tablets into a different realm by allowing a new way of communicating with its tablet devices - brainwaves (mind control!), a feature that people with impaired mobility will definitely appreciate.

Image source: MIT Technology Review

Samsung, in collaboration with Roozbeh Jafari, an assistant professor at the University of Texas have started research on how to open applications, perform commands within an app, power up and down a tablet device using just a person's thought. The initial stages of this research involve a cap studded with EEG electrodes(Electroencephalogaphy - recording electrical activity with the scalp) that monitor the electrical signals from the brain. In this research, scientists found out that people could launch an app and make selections within five seconds (with an accuracy of 85 to 90 percent)if they concentrated on an icon that was blinking at a distinctive frequency. Of course, as this project moves to the next stages, they would try the same experiment without the cap with all the electrodes because that's what the masses would want.

I am hoping that a bigger brand like Samsung would be able to keep the costs low if this tablet is mass produced in the future.

Make sure to check the video of this demonstration in the source link!

Source: MIT Technology Review via Gizmodo

Scientists Restore Hand Function In Paretic Monkey Using Artificial Neural Connection

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 04:25:00 +0000

Spinal cord injuries or strokes usually result in loss of limb control. Typically, these injuries cause interruption of the pathways that conduct impulses from the brain to the spinal cord. However, it is known that the neural circuits above and below the lesion still remain functional.

Recently, a combined effort between scientists from University of Washington, Seattle, Japan Science and Technology Agency, and National Institute for Physical Science, Japan did an experiment on a monkey with a paretic hand to see if they could restore neural activity in its hand and create natural limb movement without the help of any artificial limb. The results were pretty impressive.

The team used two approaches - first, they applied an artificial neural connection to bridge the neural

circuits above and below the lesions on the partially paralyzed monkey. This partially restored strength in the limb and allowed the monkey to move its arm purely using brainpower. Second, they also created another circuit that helped stimulate the spinal cord, thus boosting ongoing activity in the muscle.

These experiments have shown tremendous promise in curing semi paralytic people and restoring natural movement in their limbs without the need of any artificial/bionic limbs. We should hopefully get more promising news in the near future!

Check the source links for more details. There's also a direct link to a pdf of the full paper.

Source: NIPS, Frontiers via Engadget

PDF

Free Captioning Service From Amara

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:20:00 +0000

Are you an individual or organization that has a plethora of videos that you think should be subtitled for your viewers with hearing impairment? But because of time and financial constraints, it is not possible for you to get the videos captions with clear and understandable text (not the robotic mumbo jumbo that youtube's automatic captioning churns out)? Are you extremely appreciative of volunteers and thank them sincerely when they perform tasks for you pro bono?

Say hello to the free version of amara, the crowdsourced captioning platform.

Getting videos captioned via amara is very simple - you upload your videos to your youtube channel (as you normally do) and then visit amara.org and connect your youtube channel from their homepage. All videos from your channel are added to amara, and a link is added to every video inviting viewers to subtitle your work. Once the subtitles are added to your video, they are automatically sent to youtube, thus adding captions and updating language options on all websites where your videos are embedded!

Hit the source link to read more details.

Source: TNW via Karen Mardahl

Captioning win! Amara launches free version of its crowdsourced subtitling platform for YouTube users: tnw.co/VU1SYF HT @redcrew
— Karen Mardahl (@kmdk) February 6, 2013

Bebionic3: Prosthetic Arm For Daily Use

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:35:00 +0000

In the last year or so, we have seen quite a few prosthetic limbs in the market that are just remarkable in their own way - from helping people pick up things to offering touch and feel. Rapid developments in this area only go to show that people are actually accepting prosthetic limbs as a good substitute for a real limb.

Nigel Ackland, who lost his arm in an accident six years ago, was fitted with the Bebionic3 just last November, and already he can use the arm so seamlessly and flawlessly to perform daily chores - from tying shoelaces to making an omelette.

I think the Bebionic3 is the only prosthetic arm (as far as I know) that comes with its own silicone skin to give it a natural appearance. The hand also comes with its own software that can be monitored and configured wirelessly. Make sure to check out the website (source link) to learn (a lot) more about the gripping mechanisms, components it is made of, and all the technical information.

Nigel Ackland, everyone.

Source: Bebionic.com via Gizmodo

Hodu: A "Zero Failure" Physical Therapy Device

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:15:00 +0000

Traditional physical therapy devices require a lot of effort even when a patient is just starting with their therapy, only to get discouraged and disappointed sooner or later and giving up. Hodu, however, is a simple "zero failure" physical therapy device that rewards the patient for even the slightest of effort applied, thus encouraging them to keep going and getting better and stronger. The device has built in sensors that detects the effort/pressure being applied and lights up colored LEDs. Every color is associated with a certain level of pressure applied on the device.

The team behind Hodu is also working on software that will record the patient's progress and email all the information to their therapist.

A very simple, yet useful device. Check out the video to see what Hodu is capable of!

Source: Engadget, Meatbotics
Image source: Engadget

Surgery Helps Paralysis Patients Walk Again

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:18:00 +0000

Dr. Justin Brown, a neurosurgeon in San Diego, is helping patients suffering from paralysis walk again!

Most recently, he helped Rick Constantine, 58, who, following a car crash had a brain stem stroke which resulted in paralysis of the right side of the body. He was told that he would never be able to walk again. He tried physical therapy but that gave him unsubstantial benefits.

The surgery that Dr. Brown performed on Rick is called a selective peripheral neurotomy and is done under a microscope. Essentially, this surgery trims the troublesome nerve branch by up to 80 percent, thus reducing the amount of "noise" being sent back to the spinal cord. The noise is what causes the spasticity.

Rehabilitation can begin 72 hours after the procedure. Rick was walking without a walker two weeks after the procedure and even finished a 1 mile race without any assistance.

Watch the video to see what Dr. Brown's patients are saying about their experiences. Dr. Brown also explains the surgery in great technical detail.

Anyone requiring more information about this surgery should call 858-657-7000.

Source: UC San Diego Health System, Science Daily via Bill Shackleton

#SD Man walks again after surgery to reverse muscle paralysis ow.ly/2v9Ni1
— Bill Shackleton (@CRPDisabilities) February 28, 2013

Bionic Hand That Offers Touch And Feel Real Time

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:39:00 +0000

The last few years have seen a tremendous amount of progress when it comes to prosthetics. However, one limitation of these prosthetic limbs (if it is one) is the lack of sensation - clinching an object does not invoke a sense of touch since the limb is not connected to the nervous system.

Recently, scientists at The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Project Time have developed a new bionic hand that has sensors on the fingertips and connects to the nervous system of the amputee by implanting electrodes directly in two important nerves - median and ulnar, and deliver signals directly, thus enabling the person to feel the touch. Essentially, the limb is controlled by thought as well as receives touch signals from the hand sensors.

Feeling the touch/sensory signals is essential because the more sensory signals the amputee gets, the more likely the patient will fully accept and appreciate the limb.

The scientists are constantly improving and refining the interface for this limb and if all goes well, a full working model will be ready for testing in two years.

Source: The Independent, Project Time, Gizmodo, Engadget
Images source: Engadget, The Independent

FDA Approved Bionic Eye

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:21:00 +0000

Image source: Engadget

The FDA recently approved a bionic eye that will bring limited vision to people who suffer from a specific type of blindness.

The technology behind this bionic eye, known as artificial retina, will allow people who suffer from retinitis pigmentosa (a condition that causes night blindness, blurring, poor color separation, etc.), to see crosswalks, outlines of trees, cars, people; large numbers/letters among other things. It also helps them identify objects that have a contrast between light and dark - for example, black socks mixed with white ones.

This new device, named Argus II, uses electrodes implanted in the eye, a pair of glasses with a camera attached and a portable video processor that can be worn on the waist. The camera embedded in the glasses captures the scene. This video is processed by the video processor and sent to the implant in the eye, which emits small pulses of electricity that in turn simulate the retina's remaining cells, and conveys visual information to the brain.

As of now, 10,000 to 15,000 Americans will qualify for the Argus II (eligibility: must be over 25; have previously had useful vision. Also, the Argus II should provide a substantial improvement to their current blindness). The device would cost around $150,000 and that does not include the cost of surgery and training. Second Sight, the company that makes this device, is hopeful that soon insurance companies would start covering it.

As mentioned above, this device is currently being made available only to people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, but it is being looked at as a promising step for treatment for people who have macular degeneration. Eventually, Second Sight plans to use this technology to solve blindness caused by all causes.

Please read the article at the source link to learn more about this technological marvel that has opened many avenues in the assistive technology area. Don't forget to watch the video at the top of that source article too!

What do you think of this invention? A blessing for sure, but does it have limitations? Does it require a lot of work still? What are your thoughts? Please share in the comments section!

Source: NY Times (thank you, Tom Walton!)
Video: Engadget

ASETNIOP Keyboard: A Revolutionary Keyboard For People With Disabilities

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 03:32:00 +0000

The QWERTY keyboard has been around for ages and is the de facto standard for all devices we use that involve typing. However, it may be does not provide too much flexibility to people who may have visual impairment, not so good motor skills or over flexible joints (think Ehlers-Danlos syndrome). Of course, another limitation, if I may, of QWERTY keyboards is that it if it's being used on a touch device like a tablet, it occupies a substantial amount of real estate which may be frustrating for people with low vision who may want to see a larger amount of enlarged text at a time on the screen.

To solve all these problems, and to essentially allow users to type wherever they want to (that's a bold statement, isn't it?!), Zack Dennis has devised the smarter, flexible ASETNIOP keyboard that only consists of 10 (one for each finger) invisible keys! A single tap on the eight "finger" keys produce one of the ASETNIOP characters, and the two thumbs are used for "space", "enter" etc. The rest of the letters are produced by pressing two fingers at the same time - a two key combo, if you will, which are known as chords. These chords can be used to store commonly used words, automatic correction, and text predictions. With the ASETNIOP keyboard, what matters is which fingers are pressed down.

The best part about this keyboard is that its size can be adjusted to provide ample space for all ten fingers to press down comfortably. The visualization below depicts how uniformly the finger taps are distributed across the keyboard.

To watch a demo of this keyboard, watch the following video:

The ASETNIOP keyboard is available for the desktop and the iPad. Give it a shot!

Website: http://asetniop.com/

Read the full press release for more exciting information and to see a demonstration of someone typing 83 wpm on the ASETNIOP keyboard!

Mobi-Chair: Wheelchair For The Beach!

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:17:00 +0000

How often do people in wheelchairs get to go to the beach and play in the water?

Deschamps, a New Jersey based family owned business, has created the Mobi-Chair, a high quality beach chair that provides people bound to wheelchair an easier way to access and navigate across the beach. The arm rests and wheels are made of floating materials that enable the chair to fully float in water.

The Mobi-Chair can be assembled or disassembled in 5 - 10 minutes without the use of any tools, and can easily fit into the back of the trunk of a vehicle. The aluminum frame and other materials are corrosion free and the fabric used for the chair is non allergenic, UV resistant, and ventilated for quick drying.

The Mobi-Chair may not necessarily be inexpensive as it will set you back by $2139. I could not find any information on whether insurance companies would cover costs for the chair or not.

See the video to see Mobi-Chair in action, and check out the website for more information!

Source: Disabled-World via Barrier Break

Website: Mobi-chair.com

RT @disabledworld: Mobichair Floating Beach #Wheelchair - #Disability #Videos - Disabled World shar.es/4yFeL #a11y
— Barrierbreak(@Barrierbreak) January 14, 2013

i-Transport: Wheelchair That Helps People Move And Reach Heights

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 02:34:00 +0000

Scientists at the National Cheng Ku University in Taiwan have designed a wheelchair that not only allows users to maneuver around but also adjust its height so that they could practically stand in order to reach things and/or perform chores and other activities.

i-Transport, which is quite light and has greater mobility (thus helping perform daily chores with ease), comes with its own health monitoring system that monitors blood pressure and breathing condition. People who are in wheelchairs 12 - 18 hours a day, feel the need to recline, move their body position and shift their body pressure, and this wheelchair allows them to do just that. Of course, they also get a sense of pride when they get to stand and do things on their own.

The entire assembly consists of a robotic arm, the electric drive wheels, and a control panel. i-Transport also has a safety mechanism built in - it reads certain physiological signals, converts them to parameters and compares them against data it has in its monitoring system.

There's no news of this wheelchair going into mass production, but we sure hope it does!

Source: NCKU via Engadget

Controlling A Prosthetic Arm With Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 19:56:00 +0000

Image source: BBC

What we used to see a few years ago in movies is turning into reality. Controlling objects with just your thought? Who would have ever thought?

Jan Scheurmann, a 53 year old quadriplegic who is paralyzed from the neck down, recently managed to control a prosthetic arm with her mind to grasp and move objects with ease.

Two sensors were implanted in her brain that pick up electrical signals from around 200 individual brain cells, which later translate into commands that are used to move the arm and grab objects. The co-ordination, skill and speed she achieved only after 14 weeks of training (she was picking up objects on the second day!!) was almost similar to that of an able bodied person.

Image source: BBC

The next plan is to attach the prosthetic arm to Jen's wheelchair so that she could use it on a daily basis. There have been attempts to give sensation to the prosthetic arm as well so that Jen could feel the sense of touch.

This development is huge for people with spinal cord injuries, amputees, and quadriplegics. We saw something similar earlier this year, and looking at the progress, we should see a lot more action in this area in the coming years!

Hit the source links to read more about this in detail.

Source: BBC, The Lancet via Gizmodo

Project SuperPop: Use Of Kinect For Improving Motor Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:49:00 +0000

Is there anything Kinect cannot do?

Scientists at Georgia Tech's Human-Automation Systems Lab are working on a project (Project SuperPop) that would help therapists better kids' motor skills and gather a ton of data that would allow them analyze progression/ regression during rehabilitation.

The set up is very simple - all it has is a Kinect and a display. What the children see on the display is a game that requires them to pop balloons. Typically, kids would get excited and start popping those balloons right away, but what they wouldn't know is that the good ol' Kinect is tracking their arm movements and sending all the data to a computer!

This data can be used by therapists in evaluating the progress kids are making and for giving them the necessary direction required for bettering their motor skills. This setup has been designed for kids (especially the ones with Cerebral Palsy) that need to enhance their motor skills.

An extremely simple arrangement that can be extremely beneficial! What are your thoughts on this? Would something like this be widely accepted by therapists?

Watch the video for a demo of Project SuperPop.

Source: Engadget

Tommy Edison: What's It Like To Be Blind

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 02:11:00 +0000

There are two reasons why someone wouldn't know who Tommy Edison is - 1) They've been living under a rock, or 2) They don't use the Internet AT ALL.

Tommy Edison, who has been blind since birth, is a movie critic. He watches movies but cannot see what's going on. That's why his focus is always on the writing and acting. But that's not all he does, and this post is not about his movie reviews.

If you've ever wanted to know how blind people lead their lives, then you should not miss Tommy's Youtube channel. He has videos that show him doing everything that a sighted person does, but because he is blind, seeing him perform regular tasks with extra struggles which sometimes result in catastrophes, puts everything in perspective.

How does he use a DVD player? ATM Machine? How does he cook? How does he use paper money? How does he cross the road? What does he see in his dreams?

These are things that we do on a daily basis, but never really pay too much attention to the effort involved in performing them. For a blind person however, there are extra things that they need to take care of, especially in the public.

Recently he explained what colors mean to him. Although he has never seen colors in his entire life, they still have meaning for him. He associates colors with certain things, and it's amazing to see how what colors to us are what they are not to him.

Check out his Youtube channel to understand how blind people lead their lives, and to understand the difference between how blind and sighted people function.

Tommy's Youtube channel: TommyEdisonXP

His website: Blindfilmcritic

Source: Gizmodo

PS: There's one question that I have been asked by quite a number of people - how do blind people use smart phones?

Well, I think nobody can answer that better than Tommy himself.

The Eye Tribe: Eye Tracker in Tablets

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:55:00 +0000

We have seen quite many eye controllers in the recent past that do a fantastic job controlling devices by just tracking eye movement of the user. However, all of them require the purchase of an additional accessory that come for a steep price. To combat that, a group of former PhD students in Copenhagen plan to make the eye tracker a standard feature in tablets and smart phones that would not require the purchase of additional equipment.

Eye tracking software (source: NPR)

The Eye Tribe is a company that has built a technology that would use the built in front facing camera of a mobile device to track eye movement of the user. Basically, an infrared beam would be projected towards the face, and reflected in the user's pupil. The Eye Tribe's sophisticated algorithms are able to determine where the user is looking, and use their eye movement to perform tasks on the mobile device.

The idea is to mass market this technology, bringing it to not just people with disabilities, but every consumer in the market. The only issue right now is that use of this technology (for mass marketing) would require modifying the camera on mobile devices, and The Eye Tribe is in talks with major manufacturers to see how this can be achieved. The first device with this technology built in expected to hit sometime in 2013.

This video demonstrates a regular Windows 8 tablet being controlled just with the eyes!

Source: NPR

Vanderbilt Exoskeleton Promises More Independence For The Paralyzed

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 00:54:00 +0000

Today's guest blog post comes from Joseph Hill. Joseph writes on behalf of Pannone Personal Injury documenting research into disability and assistive technology.

A team of engineers at Vanderbilt University have developed an exoskeleton which gives people who suffer from paraplegia or have suffered severe spinal cord injuries, the ability to walk again.

Brian Shaffer, who is paralyzed from the waist

down, testing the Vanderbilt exoskeleton

at Shepherd Center's satellite facility in

Franklin, Tenn. (Joe Howell/Vanderbilt University)

The device was developed by Professor of Medicine and Rehabilitation at Vanderbilt University, Michael Goldfarb. The exoskeleton provides its users with a degree of independence which can’t be met with a standard wheel chair. Its lightweight and compact size enables the paraplegic to stand, sit, walk and climb stairs, things that some of us may take for granted at times.

The device acts as an external skeleton and securely straps around waist and then ridged supports are strapped above and below the knee. The hip and knee joints are controlled by electric motors which are powered by advanced batteries. The patient is also advised to use forearm crutches with the device to establish balance when moving.

Brain Shaffer suffered a car accident around Christmas 2010 which left him paralysed from the waist down. He has been testing the exoskeleton at the Sheppard centre’s satellite facility in Franklin, in Atlanta. “My Kids have started calling me ‘Ironman’” said Brian.

“It’s unbelievable to stand up again. It takes concentration to use it at first but, once you catch on, it’s not that hard: The device does all the work. I don’t expect that it will completely replace the wheelchair, but there are some situations, like walking your daughter down the aisle at her wedding or sitting in the bleachers watching your son play football, where it will be priceless,”

The device weights about 27 pounds in total, which is around half the weight of other models which can weigh up to 45-50 pounds. Not only is this model the lightest and most advanced exoskeleton in development, but it is also predicted to be the cheapest once it makes it to market. The price of other existing models on the market have price tags as high as $140,000, however Vanderbilt University believe that by using the manufacturing capability of Parker Hannifin and Goldfarb’s minimalist design, they will be able to keep the cost down to hopefully make the thought of an exoskeleton a more affordable product.

“It would be wonderful if we could get the price down to a level where individuals could afford them and insurance companies would cover them,” Claire Hartigan, a physical therapist at the Shepherd Centre, has worked with various different exo-skeletons and is really excited by the new developments.

“This is an extremely exciting new technology,” said Clare.

According to Hartigan, just getting out of the seating position and standing up can have major health benefits. People who spend a large part of their life in a seated position can suffer from osteoporosis, pressure sores and blood clots, whilst also developing serious problems with their respiratory, urinary, cardiovascular and digestive systems. Interestingly, the risk of developing these health issues can be considerably reduced by regularly standing, moving and exercising the lower limbs. Despite also working with the Argo and Ekso, Claire and her colleagues recognise the Vanderbilt as the most promising rehabilitative home device in development.

Test session of the exoskeleton: The test subject, Brian Shaffer, is followed by Shepherd Center

physical therapist Scott Hawes, Vanderbilt engineer Don Truex and Vanderbilt graduate

students Kevin Ha and Spencer Murray. (Mike Todd/Vanderbilt University)

“You can think of our exoskeleton as a Segway with legs,” said Goldfarb. “If the person wearing it leans forward, he moves forward. If he leans back and holds that position for a few seconds, he sits down. When he is sitting down, if he leans forward and holds that position for a few seconds, then he stands up.”

Leaning technology is however not the most advanced technology which has been integrated into this device. The Vanderbilt design is also the first wearable robot to incorporate a proven rehabilitation technology called Functional Electrical Stimulation. FES applies small electrical pulses to paralyzed muscles, causing them to contract and relax. This can improve strength in the legs of people with incomplete paraplegia and for complete paraplegics, FES can improve circulation, change bone density and reduce muscle atrophy. The amount of robotic assistance also adjusts automatically for users who have some muscle control in their legs. This allows them to partially use their own muscles which have rehabilitate benefits, but when a user is totally paralyzed the device does all the work. This again is completely unique to the Vanderbilt design.

The exoskeleton is currently being tested and refined at the Shepherd Center, Atlanta, Georgia, a rehabilitation hospital that focuses on rehabilitation and research into people who suffer from spinal cord or brain injury. The Vanderbilt Exoskeleton should be released into the market sometime next year.

Sources: Product, Design & Development, Vanderbilt, OandP, Gizmag

Assistive Technology Videos: Two Broke AT Girls!

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:22:00 +0000

Today's guest post comes from two very talented girls, Katie Nawrot and Megan Spencer, who are going to Illinois State University for their degree in Special Education. They go by "Two Broke AT Girls" and they make short youtube (TwoBrokeATGirls) videos in which they demonstrate DIY AT solutions that can be achieved at home with minimal to no cost!

Hey everyone! Two Broke AT Girls here. We’re here to share some insights to our videos. (Still surprised that more than just our mothers are watching. Shout out to Lyn and Judy.) The inspiration behind our video series was brought on by a project we had to do for our assistive technology class at Illinois State University this semester. (Shout out to Dr. Brian Wojcik!) We were assigned to create a Personal Learning Network (PLN) and develop a collaborative knowledge product that we could give back to other educators. Through our PLN, we were able to gain information on assistive technology from other educators through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, and other education sites. We decided to use this information to team up and find some cheap, easy do-it-yourself technology that everyday teachers can use. We chose to do videos because we found that we live in a very visual culture. From our previous learning experiences, we found ourselves watching more videos or looking at tweets, than turning the pages of our textbooks. We thought a video would be professional, fun, and educational. We were both very enthusiastic about the subject of DIY AT (why are there so many acronyms in Special Education?) and wanted to portray this through our videos. Since we are in college, and don’t have much money to spare, our goal was to find AT devices that we could make for under $10.

To give you some background knowledge on our personalities, we have been friends for 11 years (seems like 10 years too long) which makes it really easy for us to be comfortable and have fun together. If you could not already tell, we enjoy making jokes at one another’s expense. (Imagine living in the same apartment as us.) We decided on the name Two Broke AT Girls when we were walking back from class trying to brainstorm names for the video series. Of course, like always, we found ourselves trying to top the other with a clever name. Katie, like always, the victorious one. (Can you tell who’s writing this yet?)

Our first video focused on pencil grips because we found that this is one area of need for many students. A simple tool such as a pencil grip can transform the way a student writes.

On the second video, because we did not have any fancy devices around, we decided to use our 1999 Panasonic remote control to our SUPER BIG FLAT SCREEN T.V. (Just kidding, I wish). We used shrink-wrap to display ways that a professional can create a moisture guard to protect from spills, drool, or anything that may harm an expensive device.

The third do it yourself video was for a pen stylus that can be used for the newest craze of the IPad. Which, we are very proud non-owners of. This was our favorite, easiest, and cheapest AT tool to create.

Thanks for watching and stay tuned for the next episode!!!

-Katie and Megan

Netflix To Caption All Its Content By 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 22:56:00 +0000

In a recent agreement with the National Association for the Deaf (NAD), Netflix has agreed to add captions to all its contents by the year 2014, thus making its entire catalog accessible to 48 million deaf users. Currently, 82% of Netflix's content is already captioned.

The company would also add captions on new content within 30 days by 2014; within 14 days by 2015, and within 7 days by 2016. This agreement brings to an end a class action lawsuit that NAD had filed in 2010 claiming that by not providing captions, Netflix was out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

There are over a thousand devices that stream Netflix content. Most of these are capable of showing captions too. Netflix will do its best to make all the devices show captions, however, it is not obligated to do so.

As part of the agreement, Netflix would be paying $755,000 in legal fees to the plaintiff's lawyers, and $40,000 for implementing the decree.

Source: Ars Technica

Robot Wheelchair That Climbs Steps; Tackles Obstacles

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:30:00 +0000

Image source: Diginfo TV

A group at Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan has developed a new concept wheelchair that can climb stairs!

This robot wheelchair, equipped with four wheels, five axes, a joystick, and various sensors moves on regular surface just like any other wheelchair. However, whenever it sees a step, it lifts its legs off the ground and "climbs up" in a walking style. The user just needs to direct the wheelchair using the joystick. The robot has a bunch of sensors on its feet, and that helps it detect obstacles. These sensors are used to detect how big and far the steps are. On uneven surfaces, the robot uses these sensors to make sure the chair remains stable (the intention is to use this robot wheelchair on regular paved surfaces). This robot wheelchair also has the ability to line up its wheels, thus allowing it to make 360 degree turns even in narrow spaces.

As of now, Shuro Nakajima, the scientist leading the group behind this robot wheelchair wants more people to test this wheelchair so that he could get more data to tweak the user experience.

Check out the video to see this amazing robot wheelchair in action!

Source: DigInfo TV

Touch Bionics Releases New Prosthetic Fingers

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 04:09:00 +0000

Image source: Engadget

Touch Bionics, a leading expert in prosthetic limbs, recently announced the global launch of new bionic finger technologies - a very good news for people with missing fingers.

The new additions to the product line include a finger that's shorter and lighter, and a wrist band that incorporates all of the processing and poer systems of the prosthesis.

This new development enables prostheses to be made smaller, lighter and more anatomically accurate, e.g., for people with smaller hands and whose amputations are closer to the knuckles.

Needless to say, these prosthetic fingers help people perform daily chores and activities, and pursue their hobbies and interests, thus boosting their self confidence and improving their quality of life.

Watch this video to learn about the benefits of prosthetic fingers.

Check out their website to learn more about the prosthetic fingers. To read the press release, hit the source link.

Website: Touch Bionics

Source: Engadget

Implant For Age Related Macular Degeneration

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 22:43:00 +0000

Scientists at UC Davis Health Systems have successfully started installing implants into eyes of patients who suffer from age-related macular degeneration, thus giving them brand new vision.

Macular degeneration, the leading cause of legal blindness in Americans over the age of 60, damages the macula - the part of the retina that provides central vision. This loss of central vision affects a person's ability to perform daily tasks. Unfortunately, macular degeneration has been known to cause depression and diminish quality of life.

The Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) is an extremely tiny implant that has been approved for end-stage age-related macular degeneration. With a combination of mirrors, the implant magnifies the image 2-3 times of the normal size and projects on the retina for the eye to see.

Retina Specialists at UC Davis Health Systems started installing the implant in May, and so far 50 patients have received it. One of the recipients, an 89 year old artist named Virginia Bane who stopped painting four years ago because of age related macular degeneration, is extremely enthralled. "I can see better now", she said after the surgery. "Colors are more vibrant, beautiful and natural, and I can read large prints with my glasses. I haven't been able to read for the past seven years. I look forward to being able to paint again."

Soon Virginia would be able to see even better as she retrains her brain how to see.

Approximately 60% of the patients were able to see three or more lines on the eye chart right after surgery.

The patient needs to met the following requirements to receive this implant:

Must be at least 75 years of age.
Must have retinal findings of geography atrophy or disciform scar with foveal involvement.
Must have BCVA of 20/160 - 20/800.
Must have evidence of a cataract in one eye.
Must be willing to undergo pre-operative screening and post operative training with a low vision therapist.

Hit the source links to read more.

Source: UC Davis Health Systems (1), UC Davis Health Systems (2), Fox News via Gizmodo
Image sources: UC Davis Health Systems (1)

Accessibility Enhancements in Google Apps

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:52:00 +0000

Google has made a ton of accessibility enhancements to some of its apps, viz., Drive, Calendar, Contacts, mobile apps (and others). Some of the enhancements are:

- Including OCR in Google Drive to allow screen readers to read text from scanned PDFs and images.

- Over 450 webfonts launched in documents and presentations with basic accessibility support.

- Custom color picker added to Calendar to create better viewing experience for users with low vision.

- Basic keyboard controls improved for Gmail for mobile.

To see the extensive list of new features and bug fixes, visit this link.

Google has also created an Administrator Guide to Accessibility for technical administrators/ accessibility specialists etc. that gives them

- A summary of accessibility information for Google Apps.

- helps understand the current state of accessibility for each supported app in Google Apps.

- best practices for implementing Google Apps to support users' accessibility needs.

Source: Official Google Blog

Bill Signed For Self Driving Cars On Public Roads

noreply@blogger.com (Venkat Rao) — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 00:02:00 +0000

Self driving cars are a step closer to reality!

California governor Jerry Brown signed bill SB1298 two days ago which formalizes the legal and safety standards for automated cars so that they could be driven on state owned roads. This is good news for people with visual impairment and other disabilities (that hinder their ability to commute) because in the future, this self driving car would enable them to fearlessly commute without having to depend on others for transportation purposes.

Several important points were made during the bill signing ceremony, some of which were:

- Accidents are caused by human errors. The self driving cars have potential to avoid accidents.

- The "drivers", when stuck in traffic, can utilize their time doing something else, thus being more productive.

- Self driving cars have the ability to eliminate congestion.

- Last, but not the least, self driving cars do not jump red lights!

Of course, there is still a lot of testing that needs to be done. However, Sergey Brin thinks that the self driving car would probably be ready for public use in five years or so.

Watch the following video to see Sergey Brin and Jerry Brown talk about the self driving car and how these cars would change our lives.

Source: Google+ via Engadget