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World's first braille smartwatch is an ebook reader and more
On the surface, Dot sounds like a fairly standard smartwatch: It resembles a Fitbit and features a messaging system, navigation functions, Bluetooth 4.0, an alarm and, of course, a timepiece. Dot is remarkable because it's a braille smartwatch -- the world's first braille smartwatch, in fact. Its face features a series of dull pins that rise and fall at customizable speeds, spelling out words in braille as the user places a finger on top. With this system, Dot allows users to read ebooks without throwing down thousands of dollars for a portable braille reader. The watch should hit the market for less than $300, with pre-orders staring this year. Plus, Dot has an active battery life of 10 hours, according to inhabitat, so get ready for some serious reading time.
Gett tweaks its UK taxi app to help visually-impaired users
Thanks to smartphone apps, hailing a taxi no longer requires memorising the phone number of the local cab company or gesturing at a passing driver in the street. However, none of these options are particularly useful if someone is visually impaired. Gett, the black taxi app formerly known as GetTaxi, agreed more could be done to help its blind or partially-sighted users, so it acted on a suggestion by an Israeli teenager to overhaul its iOS and Android apps.
This device helps the blind navigate by tingling their tongues
Remember the BrainPort, that device that helps the blind get around by sending electrical signals to their tongues? It's finally getting the green light. The Food and Drug Administration has cleared the BrainPort V100 for sale in the US, giving sightless Americans a unique way to augment their perception of the world around them. In its finished form, the BrainPort sends visual signals from a pair of camera-equipped glasses to a set of electrodes that stimulate your tongue based on object characteristics such as distance, movement and shape. You only need to pay close attention to the V100's tingles and vibrations to identify items. It's not the same as restoring vision and won't completely replace guide dogs or other conventional assistance, but it could fill in a lot of missing information.
Students design a facial recognition cane for blind people
Facial recognition technology has many use cases, but none nearly as significant as this next one might be. A group of students at Birmingham City University are developing a smart cane, dubbed XploR, which uses a combination of hardware and software to help the visually impaired easily identity family and friends. The device is powered by a smartphone's face recognition features, GPS and Bluetooth, allowing blind people who use it to detect faces up to roughly 33ft away. If the cane does recognize someone, it then sends a vibrating signal to the person and guides them via an ear piece -- for reference, the images of loved ones can be stored on an SD card.
Infrared implant brings practical sight to the blind
You can already get a retinal implant to restore some sight when you're blind, but the quality is usually too poor to be useful for more than avoiding collisions. A better solution is close at hand, however: Pixium Vision has successfully tested an implant that should go beyond basic vision. The tiny chip sits just behind the retina and uses infrared light to both stimulate images in your brain and power the whole device. Tests in rats generate vision equivalent to 20/250. That's still far from flawless, but it'd be superior to the 20/500 you can get now -- good enough that you could read the largest letter on an eye doctor's chart. The eventual system for humans, which will use goggles to send images, should manage 20/120 and put wearers above the US' legal standard for blindness. Trial runs start in 2016, so you may not have to wait much longer if you're eager to give the implant a try.
Smash-a-ball improves blind kids' memory and spatial awareness
The machine you see above is called Smash-a-ball, and to put it simply: it's like Whack-a-mole designed to help blind kids develop certain skills. Smash-a-ball was developed by Nadia Guevara and Pedro Bori, a couple of educational psychologists, who've teamed up with a number of engineers to create toys for children with visual impairment. In order to play, users will have to rely on audio cues from the box's speaker coupled with tactile stimuli given off by the accompanying backpack or armband to pinpoint which combination of buttons to hit. The duo believes Smash-a-ball can help kids gain self-esteem and give them a way to interact and socialize with friends and family. It can also help visually impaired children improve their memory and reaction rates, as well as gain body and spatial awareness.
Bluetooth beacons are helping the blind navigate London's Tube
London's Underground network can feel like a maze for even the most seasoned traveller, especially at rush hour when you're packed in with hordes of disgruntled commuters. The problem is only amplified for blind and partially sighted people, but a combination of Bluetooth beacons and smartphone app could make the experience less stressful. Wayfindr has been developed by Ustwo (yep, the folks behind the video game Monument Valley) and the Royal London Society for Blind People's (RLSB) Youth Forum to offer travellers audio-based directions and advice. A month-long trial at Pimlico station is now underway with 16 beacons tracking users' smartphones and activating descriptive notes. The information is basic, but could offer valuable guidance and, hopefully, confidence to blind and partially sighted people navigating the Underground independently.
WoW Moviewatch: The Craft of War: BLIND
I've treasured the WoW machinima community just as much -- if not more -- than the rest of the game. Over the years, I've witnessed so much joy and pleasure, not to mention raw creativity, that I'll always carry the indelible mark in my heart. What's not to love about a group of people who sing, animate, draw, and create? Hundreds of outstanding videos testify to the strength of that community. So when choosing one last final video for my personal swan song, I was stumped. WoW filk played during my wedding and during the birth of both my daughters. My wife and I fell in love with machinima together. I ultimately chose this, the machinima that took the world by storm. To this day, I still get notes asking if WoW Insider is aware of the video. So with a tip of that, I present to you: The Craft of War: BLIND. Keep an eye over your shoulders, folks. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
3D talking map can help the blind find their way
The Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts just got a high-tech installation to help keep their students from getting lost around campus: a three-dimensional map that talks. Its miniature Monopoly-like buildings and other elements (which were 3D printed, by the way) are coated in conductive paint, so they can recognize when they're being touched. If someone does, the map will announce the building's or any other structure's name along with directions on how to get there. Some areas feature sound effects, as well -- a fountain gurgles, for instance, while a bell tower rings. Plus, it has a three-button menu that one can use to browse a spoken list of locations.
Microsoft's bone-conducting headset guides the blind with audio cues
While nothing can replace the companionship of a guide dog, technology can help make treks through busy cities a lot less stressful and more enjoyable for the visually impaired. Microsoft, for one, is currently testing a new headset (developed with help from UK charity Guide Dogs) that uses 3D soundscape technology to guide its users with audio cues along the way. That bone-conducting headset can't work alone, though: it needs to be connected to a smartphone, as well as to receive information from Bluetooth and WiFi beacons placed in intervals throughout the roads users take. For its pilot program, Microsoft attached makeshift beacons on neighborhood objects in a London suburb, where its first testers are giving it a spin. When company news writer Jennifer Warnick tried it out while blindfolded, she found herself so efficient in getting around with only sounds to guide her, that she felt like a "dry-land dolphin."
Synthesizer transforms weather into live streamed ambient tunes
What if you could use a locale's current weather conditions to make ambient music? Well, that's precisely what New Orleans-based artist Quintron did. The Weather Warlock is an analog synthesizer that gets its input signals from variations outside, monitored by a collection of meteorological sensors. When employed, the set-up can produce sounds based on changes in temperature, wind, sunlight and rain, using a pleasant E major chord as the base and piping in unique tones for sunrise and sunset. Oh yeah, it's also constantly live streamed over the web so you can get some background noise whenever you like. The goal is to eventually have a handful of stations scattered across the globe so that listeners can enjoy a variety ambient weather-based tunes. For now, you can enjoy the broadcast after the break.
San Francisco airport beacons help the blind get around using their phones
San Francisco International is about to make life decidedly easier for blind and visually impaired travelers. The airport has teamed up with Indoo.rs to unveil a Bluetooth beacon system that will help these passengers find their way through Terminal 2 using only their phone. When users walk past one of the 500 transmitters, their devices will announce nearby points of interest; they can find flight gates, ATMs, information desks and power outlets without asking for help. An early version of the necessary app also has a directory for sighted visitors.
'World's first' braille mobile phone goes on sale in the UK
Touchscreens may have kicked-off a mobile computing revolution, but they didn't do much for the visually impaired. OwnFone, which launched a customizable mobile phone for kids and the elderly back in 2012, is now offering its stripped-down handset with braille or raised text contact buttons. The 3D-printed hardware lets you select up to four contacts that can be assigned to the device, making it ideal for emergencies and people who need to stay in touch with family or carers on a regular basis. It's available right now for a base price of £60, plus an additional monthly charge of between £7.50 and £15.00 per month -- depending on how much call time you want or need.
3D-printed images help the blind 'see' Hubble's photos of space (video)
The Hubble Space Telescope has produced some of the most spectacular images known to man, but there's a large segment of the population who've been unable to enjoy them: the blind. A pair of astronomers from the Space Telescope Science Institute aim to change that, though, by producing tactile "images" of the universe using a MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer. While such prints can be made from almost any object, the duo's biggest challenge was figuring out the 3D structure of objects like galaxies -- and then making it possible, through feel, for the visually impaired to picture them in their mind's eye. So far, they've developed 3D prototypes showing stars, gas clouds, filaments and more using lines, raised circles and dots formed formed in plastic. The group hopes to one day produce tactile pictures for schools, libraries and the public -- meanwhile, check the video after the break to see what the first users thought about it. [Image credit: NASA, ESA and M. Estacion]
Beyond Eyes paints a colorful picture of a blind girl
Beyond Eyes, a game about guiding a young blind girl through her environment, is currently seeking €10,000 (approximately $13,513) on Indiegogo. If the game is funded, developer Sherida Halatoe anticipates a summer 2014 release on PC, Mac and Linux. Beyond Eyes began as a graduation project while Halatoe attended Utrecht School of Arts, but Halatoe says in her pitch video that she "couldn't let it go." The story centers on Rae, a girl who lost her sight in a fireworks accident, and has since become a recluse. Rae doesn't interact much with the outside world, preferring to stay in her quiet garden with a stray cat she names Nani. When Nani disappears, Rae goes searching. Since Rae is blind, the world appears white and empty. When Rae senses an object through her remaining senses, colors will bloom through the object, painting it in like a watercolor picture. Players will take on the role of caretaker and guide for Rae as opposed to playing as her, and Halatoe warns that "A player who forces [Rae] into dangerous situations finds himself with a scared, distrustful girl who will refuse to do his bidding until he regains her trust." Funding Beyond Eyes at the €3,000 level will net you another game, as Halatoe writes that she will create a "short game" that can feature up to two characters and two environments.
Encrypted Text: We'll always be the bad guys
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here. I remember the first time I ran into a warlock in vanilla WoW. We were both around level 40, and I met him in an Uldaman run. I didn't even know the class existed until he responded to my advertisement in trade chat. During the dungeon, he was constantly Fearing mobs into other groups, accidentally tab-targeting and tossing DoTs on patrols, and letting his pet steal aggro from the tank. My first impression of warlocks was a negative one, and it took a long time for that prejudice to subside. Most players' first experience with a rogue will be on the receiving end of our daggers. Whether it's in a battleground or in the open world of a PvP server, rogues are killing thousands of players per hour. If a rogue gets the opener on an unsuspecting player, it's not a pretty sight. The target will be ambushed from nowhere, stunned, slowed, interrupted, poisoned, and bled to death. Being killed by a rogue isn't a fun experience. You're hit with the shock of surprise, denied control of your character, and incredibly restricted. It's easy to see how a player's first experience with a rogue could leave a bad taste in their mouth.
Odin Mobile set to launch as first US mobile carrier for the visually impaired
Sure, cellphones for those who have issues with sight aren't new, but Odin Mobile is aiming to be the very first US mobile carrier specifically tailored to improve accessibility for the visually impaired. When it launches in late July, the T-Mobile MVNO will offer Qualcomm's Ray low vision-friendly smartphone for $300 -- which is slated to arrive at Amazon on June 6th -- and more affordable handsets from Emporia. Odin Mobile also plans to send user guides in Word format and HTML via email, and promises that its customer support team will know the ins and outs of the accessibility features in its phones. As if that weren't enough, the firm vows to donate two percent of its revenue from voice and text services to organizations that help the visually impaired. Head past the break for the press release or hit the source link to peruse the company's devices and plans.
University student crafts app that helps blind smartphone users snap photos
Dustin Adams, a Ph.D student at the University of California at Santa Cruz, has teamed up with colleagues at his school in order to craft an app that helps visually impaired users line up the ideal snapshot. The project started out as a quiz, asking 54 people with varying degrees of ocular impairment what they found most difficult about taking photos. From there, he essentially boiled that down into requirements for a smartphone program. For starters, the app does away with a conventional shutter button, instead relying on an upward swipe gesture to grab a frame. Moreover, it integrates face detection and voice accessibility, enabling the phone itself to talk to the photographer and alert him / her as to how many faces are detected and in focus. The app also captures a 30-second audio clip whenever the camera mode is activated, which helps remind users of what was going on during the capture of a shot. Unfortunately, there aren't any screenshots or videos of the app in action just yet, but that's scheduled to change when it's formally unveiled at the Pervasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments conference in Greece later this month.
Kindle iOS app gets a slew of new features for the blind and visually impaired
The latest upgrade to the iPhone and iPad version of Amazon's Kindle reading app brings a bunch of new features aimed at blind and visually impaired users. At the top of the list is the ability to read aloud 1.8 million Kindle Store titles, with help from Apple's VoiceOver technology. The update also brings better library and book navigation and search, as well as features like notes, highlights, bookmarks, font size, background color and brightness. Standard Kindle features like X-Ray, End Actions and sharing via Facebook and Twitter are also made more accessible through the update. Amazon's promised a similar update for non-iOS versions of the app at some point in the future -- in the meantime, a full list of new features can be found in a press release after the break.
Blind iPhone owners may get People Finder app
It's easy for two people to meet up at the mall. They just arrive at the appointed time and look for each other. This simple task is not so easy for blind people, who could be right around the corner from each other and not realize it. According to the BBC, this is a problem that Mike May from Sendero Group is trying to solve with his People Finder app. People Finder is a prototype app that uses GPS and Bluetooth to help you find someone nearby. It uses voice prompts -- near or cold -- to let you know if you are close to the friend that you are trying to meet. It also alerts the other person when you are closing in on their location, so they can start searching for you, too. Currently, 100 people are testing the app and May is looking for funding to help expand its reach. May was recently demoing the app at the CSUN accessible technology conference. You can read more about the project in the BBC article. Thanks, Chancey!
