Tag: Inclusion

A lamp recognises epilepsy attacks. But WiFi light bulbs can be used for different purposes. Enter a US-based IT security technician and his prototype for an online library. His vision? To grant users access to banned books (recently forbidden in America: a children's book by a Hollywood icon). By adapting the software, he made the lamp into a WiFi...

Donor blood could soon be in greater supply. When patients bleed heavily - like during heart operations - they need additional blood platelets. Currently platelets are stored at room temperature and enjoy a 5-7 day shelf life. Enter a university research team’s four-year study across 27 different sites in the US and Australia. While the team investigated whether the...

A special ring could make digital communication more secure in future. Now, two students from Germany have designed a bracelet to help deaf people communicate with others in real-life conversation. The bracelet translates sign language into spoken word in real time. A sensor in the bracelet measures electric muscle activity in the forearm during signing; at the same time,...

A pillow jacket warns deaf people of dangers at night. Meanwhile in Toronto a research team has combined with international partners to develop a vest that could enable a deaf-blind woman from London to safely scale Mount Everest. The vest translates her guide’s hand gestures into vibration signals. These are created through the presence of four motors, one on...

Smart ‘pinecones’ warn against wildfires. When it comes to domestic fires or break-ins, however, deaf people are particularly vulnerable. Enter a British research team and its new vibrating pillow jacket. On the reverse four miniature haptic actuators have been woven into the fabric. These are coupled with a smartphone through a microcontroller; the smartphone, in turn, can be connected...

A new shoe sole helps predict falls. Meanwhile the way in which people move may be an indicator of their mental health. That is, according to a recent study conducted by a Texas-based research team. 30 young adults first completed a questionnaire assessing their depression or anxiety levels. Next they were filmed by 16 cameras walking or standing up...

Some wheelchairs can be steered by head movements or facilitate conversations at eye-level. But recording cinema-quality moving images from different perspectives has - until now - proved challenging for wheelchair users. Enter the founder of an inclusive film production company in London and his ingenious wheelchair-based camera mounting system. Like a steadicam, the system delivers 3-stage image stabilisation, while...

A venture capital firm is specifically backing LGBTQ+ teams, while an app focuses on the community’s mental health. For some time, a German non-profit organisation has been using wool from gay rams to promote its pro-LGBTQ+ message. A message that was recently given a global platform with financial help from a queer dating app: special wool pieces, whose designer...