A new technology developed at Georgia Tech, makes touchscreens more accessible to visually impaired people.

via Boing Boing “For Texting Without Looking, Researchers Adapt Braille” (February 2012)

The application is highly rated, and is as easy to use as a pen and paper–a time proven non-verbal method of communication.

WHILL is an aftermarket device with two circular hubs that fit over the outside of the wheelchair’s wheels are connected by a curved bar. Direction and speed is adjusted by operating the curved control section that connects the two hubs.

After locking the hubs onto the wheels, the user steers the chair by leaning and pushing against the central waist bar. Each hub has a 24-volt motor powered by a lithium-ion battery, which helps the wheels turn and move. The battery will allow a range of approximately 19 miles/30 kilometers before requiring a 2-hour charge.

The Japan based WHILL company, is currently looking for wheelchair users to help field test the prototype device. Feedback from test users will influence the design of the final, commercial product.

Electric coil and magnets in the wheel hub generate electricity

1. LED: it emits light.
2. Wheel cover: it protects all LEDS from the outside environment.
3. Magnet: it helps generate electricity while rolling
4. Coil: it conveys electric power through wires to the switch and LEDs
5. Gear: is is like a bridge between the wheel and magnet
6. Small cover: it protects an independent electric power plant
7. LCD: it shows how much power is remaining

How It Works

The vOICe uses pitch for height and loudness for brightness in one-second left to right scans of any view: a rising bright line sounds as a rising tone, a bright spot as a beep, a bright filled rectangle as a noise burst, a vertical grid as a rhythm. Best used with stereo headphones for the most immersive experience and most detailed auditory resolution.

The i-LIMB Ultra looks and moves more like a natural hand than many powered prosthetic hands currently on the market. Each finger moves independently and bends at the natural joints so that it can accurately adapt to fit around the shape of the object you want to grasp. It has five individually powered articulating fingers and manually rotatable thumb and wrist, plus exercising strength proportional to the input signal with pulsing for increased grip force.

Skin coverings

i-limb skin active is a thin layer of semi-transparent, flesh colored or black material that has been computer-modeled to accurately wrap to every contour of the hand. i-limb skin active is designed for simplicity and ease of use.

i-limb skin natural is a lifelike covering that gives a more cosmetic appearance. i-limb skin natural is vailable in ten different skin shades for both genders.

i-limb skin match is the most realistic covering option possible. For i-lim skin match, the silicon skin is hand painted to exactly match the user’s skin tone and features… or a more creative, artistic design.

Subtitles, and app for the iphone, provides access to a huge library of movie subtitles in 20 languages. This app is especially useful for the hard of hearing and people who would like access to subtitles in their native language when watching a movie.

Subtitles for new releases, as well classic movies are available. There is also support for hearing impaired subtitles.

Languages Supported

English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese/Brazilian, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Chinese, Polish, Russian, Albanian, Arabic, Bulgarian and Czech.

Ausführlicher Artikel findet ihr auf venturebeat.com “Windows 8 adds more features to help disabled users”

Currencies & Languages

Several currencies are supported including the US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Canadian Dollar, and Australian Dollar. Voice Over for several languages are supported including English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Polish, Russian, Korean, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Japanese, Greek, Hungarian, and Mandarin.