Tag: Disability

A pop-up display could help those with limited vision access the digital world. Meanwhile, a Cologne-based startup is offering the German-speaking deaf community, who also have difficulty reading, a similar opportunity: its avatar renders website content into sign language. Website administrators use an internet platform with a toolbox to arrange pre-defined blocks of text and tailor them to individual...

A smart pen deciphers Braille characters. But participating fully in digital life remains a challenge for those with no or limited vision. Enter a New York-based research team and its sparkling idea. The team’s square display contains 100 evenly arranged circular silicone sheets, each measuring 2mm in diameter. The sheets can be made to pop up within 0.24 milliseconds...

Fungi for healthy feet? No longer a paradox thanks to DIY insoles. Now a research team in Atlanta has invented a smart inner sole to support people with walking problems. Pressure data from each foot is collected thanks to 170 thin, flexible sensors spread across the soles underneath users’ feet. Meaning each step can be analysed to determine whether...

Braille characters can be translated using a pen. Now, a science team on America’s west coast is using writing to help diagnose Parkinson’s without breaking the bank. The team’s 3D-printed diagnostic pen is filled with magnetic fluid, while a coil of conductive yarn is wrapped around its barrel. The tip is made from magnetic silicon. When tracing letters directly...

It’s important to safeguard children against improper content online. Students in Indonesia, meanwhile, have focused on how people with Down’s Syndrome or Fragile X Syndrome can learn about protecting their sphere of privacy. The team developed a simple system using three different colours of soap. Allowing parents or carers to impart crucial information on intimate areas during bathtime using...

Smart glasses can protect blind people from collisions. Dogs are not immune to losing their sight either. Which is why Texas-based students are focusing on a solution that will stop blind dogs injuring themselves while out playing or walking. Their innovation: a smart vest with a hood. Attached to it at eye level are two cameras, with 8 vibrating...

A digital pen can convert braille into text, while a glove does the same for sign language. A London-based startup, in turn, has developed a cloud-based platform to translate text, voice and video into British Sign Language. An AI-powered avatar does the signing. Training with data sets incorporated different dialects, contextual language and emotional tone. Comprising deaf members who use...

Sustainable shops and restaurants can be found online. People on the autism spectrum, with ADHD or learning difficulties have their own specific needs. Now a non-profit organisation from Alabama has created an online map tool for New York to drive inclusion of the neurodivergent community in public life. Users can add their favourite spots to the map assuming they...