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Dream-Racer lets disabled kids race RC cars
Racing RC cars was definitely one of our favorite things to do when we were mere gadget-obsessed tykes (at least until we turned 16), and soon disabled kids will be able to join in on the fun, thanks to English outfit Dream Technology. The two-person pit crew's Dream-Racer uses a baseball cap with four integrated motion sensors that controls a modified Nikko RC car. Instead of the conventional pistol-trigger controller, you simply tilt your head in the appropriate direction to operate the vehicle. The company developed the tech in response to a request from a charity group that later found the £159 ($315) toy helped disabled children improve their cognitive skills and play independently (gee, ya think?). That's terrific, but we don't see any reason to limit sales to just disabled kids when this thing is ready to ship later this summer -- what kid wouldn't want to pretend they have a mind-link with their car?[Via MedLaunches]
Head-mounted display helps disabled walk
Although we've seen gait monitors and even prosthetic feet that assist individuals in regaining a more natural stride, scientists at Technion Institute of Technology in Israel have resorted to a head-mounted display for its rendition. This virtual reality device combines "auditory and visual feedback to improve walking speed and stride length in patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease," and provides the wearer with a "tiled-floor image" that apparently assists them in navigating nearly any terrain. The device is meant to take the place of normal muscle feedback mechanisms, and to provide said feedback to these disabled individuals so they can make adjustments and improve the efficiency of their walk. The HMD has already made its way to several medical centers and has purportedly yielded positive results, but there was no word on when this device would be commercially available.[Via MedGadget]
Disabled inventor crafts DinnerUp pet feeder
After a solid four-mile run on the Doggy Treadmill, it's not too tough to understand why Fido is famished, but for folks who are disabled in ways that make bending down or moving around in general difficult, getting the pet food from the pantry to the bowl has been a serious chore. Thanks to a retired engineer (who was stricken by cerebral palsy) that figured he better solve his own problem rather than wait for someone else, the DinnerUp apparatus was concocted, and now it's on the brink of commercialization. The device mounts onto a kitchen counter or door and relies on a hand crank / clutching system in order to lift the attached bowls to a level that's easy to reach, after which it's lowered back down to the anxious pets below. Currently, Ray Dinham is assembling the units himself and offloading them to "satisfied customers" for £70 ($140) apiece, but it shouldn't be long before the manufacturing is "outsourced to a UK-based firm" and these gain some serious worldwide traction.[Via BBC]
All-terrain Whizzybug enables mobility for handicapped UK kids
In an attempt to create a more fashionable alternative to the wheelchair devices that handicapped children currently rely on to get around, a group of engineers at the Bath Institute for Medical Engineering, in consultation with parents and occupational therapists, have concocted the car-like Whizzybug. The all-terrain vehicle can reportedly handle asphalt and green pastures without issue, and sports a blistering top speed of two miles-per-hour. Additionally, it can be controlled by the caregiver or the youngster, weighs in at just under 70-pounds, has a "fully adjustable seating system with memory foam cushions and a programmable joystick," and to top things off, this bad boy even touts a trailer hitch for towing those weak Power Wheels rigs out of the rough. The devices are slated to be sold by the developing charity, Whizz-Kidz, "at cost," which means that interested parents will be looking at anywhere between £1,700 ($3,406) and £2,000 ($4,007) depending on options.[Via MedLaunches]
High school students laser-enable the disabled
The students on the Palo Alto High School InvenTeam arrived at the Stanford Cool Products Expo this year with a new system designed to allow quadriplegics to operate all kinds of gadgets and appliances. The user shakes his head to activate a glasses-mounted laser, which he can then point at sensors embedded in an array of custom triggers placed around the home. So far the team's nailed the basic on/off circuit needed for lights, fans, and a pet food dispenser (which is currently shelling out M&M's to Expo attendees), but the real noise is their plan to extend the system by building a small robot that will perform various tasks. According to the school, team captain Guy Davidson was only kidding a little when he said the team hoped "to have [the user] vacuuming in a few weeks." While this isn't the first time we've seen lasers used to assist the disabled, you gotta wonder what's going to happen to their altruisitic spirit when these kids realize they can also just headmount one of those crazy high-powered laser pointers.Read - CNET Cool Products Expo video (second item)Read - Palo Alto High School press release (6MB PDF)
Assistance dogs relieve "ruff" times at the ATM
Throughout time, man's best friend has proven to possess an extraordinary capacity to provide helpful services. An unfortunate few become chauffeurs for lazy individuals, however many others provide invaluable aid to the disabled and wheelchair-bound. Assistance dogs have been known to perform tasks such as doing laundry and grocery shopping, but now they can totally rock the ATM as well. It all started with Endal, a ten-year-old Labrador Retriever assistance dog who took the liberty to nab his frustrated wheelchair-bound owner's card, money and receipt with his mouth -- a first for contributive canines. A charity that trains assistance dogs, Canine Partners, was quite inspired and has added an ATM regimen that teaches the helpful hounds to insert and remove cards, retrieve cash and receipts, and hand them to the owner who is responsible for entering their PIN number. Nothing in life is free, and a lot of stuff in life requires cash, therefore we can definitely conclude that this novel advancement is paws-down progressive.[Via Spluch]
ACCS GRAViTONUS gives quadriplegics tongue-controlled computer interface
While other forms of alternative computing are certainly available, yet another group of researchers are touting their own rendition as a radical new way for quadriplegics to engage in computerized learning and entertainment. Dubbed the Alternative Computer Control System (ACCS) GRAViTONUS, the proposed hands-free system would enable folks who have suffered spinal cord injuries or other forms of paralysis to dictate basic computer functions entirely with their tongue. The prototype looks to be quite non-invasive, and when worn around one's head, can enable users to mouse around and navigate within applications by way of a precise tongue-controllable interface. Interestingly, it's even stated that the device won't hinder one's ability to drink, speak, or breathe, but we assume you'd have to give the mouthpiece a good washing after every use to avoid bacterial buildup. Nevertheless, the ACCS GRAViTONUS backers are now scouting VCs who'd like to get this creation to market, so if you've been looking for something intriguing to get wrapped up in, give these blokes a ring.
Sweden develops MICA: the intelligent, autonomous wheelchair
There's not much like getting off the couch and moving around a bit (well, not always), and a Swedish dissertation has uncovered an intelligent wheelchair that sports remote-controlled or autonomous operation. Sven Rönnbäck of Luleå University of Technology in Sweden has developed the Mobile Internet Connected Assistant (MICA), which offers up a presumably comfortable looking set of wheels to those who lack the ability to move on their own. Similar to the technology found in the Good Bytes Cafe, this wheelchair utilizes the built-in "distance-metering sensor to discover the surfaces that are available," and the technology can also be used to "ensure that the wheelchair is being used in a safe manner." The target market is "severely handicapped individuals who would otherwise find it difficult to steer a wheelchair," as these folks could take full advantage of the head-controlled interface in order to instruct the machine where to go next. Best of all, the device can learn and store maps of one's home, giving blind and visually impaired individuals the chance to cart around their crib without worrying over foreign objects foiling their plans. While we haven't heard of any VCs grabbing hold of this marvel just yet, we're sure that opportunity isn't too far away, and we're all about finding new ways to blaze a path. [Warning: PDF link][Via Gizmag]
Good Bytes Cafe gives internet, computer access to the disabled
In an attempt to bring the computing universe we privileged folk know and love so well to those with limited mobility, Goodwill Industries has opened a free internet café in San Antonio, Texas where wheelchairs are more than welcome. The firm, most commonly associated with its numerous thrift stores and handicapped job placement services, hopes that the normal looking café will take off and encourage disabled / elderly individuals to come and learn about computing skills that can assist them in their daily lives and with locating a job. Good Bytes Cafe, as it's so aptly-named, features the same standard layout of any coffee house, but features a bevy of highly sophisticated PCs for users with limited reach and movement capabilities. Thanks to a $125,000 grant from the local AT&T branch, users have access to software that "magnifies and reads aloud to help those who are visually impaired," joystick mice that are easier to control, an optical-based mouse that controls the cursor with your eyes, and even a minuscule face-mounted controller that directs the cursor by simply moving one's head or nose. Folks attending the grand opening were more than pleased, and one deaf individual went so far as to deem the hangout "absolutely awesome." Rebecca Helterbrand, marketing vice president for Goodwill Industries of San Antonio, is proud of the opening, but hopes that they'll be far "from the last."
Cellphones enable PA system for the deaf
Typically, when we think of cellphones improving one's quality of life, we're speaking in terms of broadband data, big honkin' autofocus cams, and gobs of flash memory. Researchers in IBM's British facilities are looking at it a little differently, though, looking into how mobile devices might be used to help alert the deaf to PA announcements near their location -- something hearing folk take for granted in airport terminals, train stations, and sports venues, just to name a small few. Their LAMA system (Location Aware Messaging for Accessability) was originally designed with the hard of hearing in mind, but they're pointing out that it could come in handy for pretty much anyone: voice-based services to read signage to the blind, directions to various nearby places for the navigationally challenged, and so on. Better yet, the system may not be that far off, with European trials in train stations possibly coming before the year's out. No word on whether new handsets are required to take advantage of the system, but then again, we're always looking for an excuse to upgrade.[Via textually.org]
Standing Wheelchair offers heightened opportunity for paralyzed individuals
While this new adaptation of a wheelchair may resemble a certain human transporter device, the humbly-named Standing Wheelchair just might be regarded with a tad more sincerity than the dear 'ole Segway. This two-wheeled cruiser was designed to give those who have lost some of their motor functions -- paraplegics in particular -- a new way to experience the world. Pending the device actually getting built, the engineering would seem quite impressive, ditching the unfashionable style often times associated with wheeled contraptions for the handicapped, and instead blending functionality with (fairly) unobtrusive lines that shouldn't draw the wrong kind of attention at first glance. Currently, those unable to walk unassisted have to resort to less-than-ideal methods to get around, and even when carted in a traditional wheelchair, they're forced to view the world a few rungs lower than the average joe (unless, of course, they're using the iBOT). Apparently this device solves that dilemma, and offers those with paralyzed lower limbs a new way to make use of their legs. While little detail is given on how the wheels are actually controlled, we can (hopefully) assume that sufficient safeguards were built-in to prevent certain catastrophes from occurring (i.e. peeling out from under you) -- while ideas to mobilize the disabled are often glossed over (or just not taken seriously), it's quite possible this Standing Wheelchair concept could raise a few eyebrows.[Via Mobile Mag]
Plight of the color blind gamer
Joystiq has an interesting post on the unique challenge facing color blind gamers as they strive to conquer Rockstar Presents Table Tennis.
Colorblind gaming or: Table Tennis is impossibly hard!
Around one in ten males and one in two hundred females are unable to discern the difference between some or all colors that other people can distinguish. Like most other people with the disability, I've been colorblind (or, to use the politically correct term, have had color sight deficiency) since birth. I find it hard, and sometimes impossible, to tell the difference between shades of red, green and brown, blue and purple and oranges and yellows. As my optician told me when I was young, this disability means that I can't work in a paint factory or be a pilot. What he didn't tell me was that I'd have trouble playing friggin' computer games! As you probably know, the Xbox 360 features several colored buttons. Usually I can tell the difference between these buttons (the problem isn't so bad that I can't tell the difference between the equivalent of red and green at traffic lights). However, there's one game that has caused a problem: Rockstar's Table Tennis. A fundamental part of the gameplay is being able to respond to the opposing player's spin on the ball. This is represented by one of the colors which are also found on the gamepad. Blue for left spin, red for right spin, green for forward spin and yellow for back spin. Unfortunately, I can barely tell the difference between the red, green and yellow on a standard definition display. On a high definition screen the green and yellow are still nearly identical to my eyes. This isn't usually much of a problem during normal play (besides, I can always just press the green button), but on the training levels where you are taught how to spin the ball, I found the task physically impossible. I literally had to guess which spin the computer was giving the ball! Table Tennis has the hardest training level of any game, at least for me. Since completing the training levels is an Xbox 360 achievement, it's also possibly the hardest achievement there is. It took me around 3-4 hours and dozens of reattempts to get the 5 points given to you after you complete training.
Kurzweil set to unveil portable reader for the blind
Even though we've seen a ton of products designed to aid the visually-impaired in their daily lives, technology still has a long way to go before disabled folks are able to enjoy a completely unrestricted lifestyle, which is why inventor/visionary Ray Kurzweil has spent the last quarter-century building devices that make reading easier for the blind. His latest invention, called the K-NFB, is basically a five megapixel digital camera attached to the back of a Windows Mobile 5.0-powered PDA, which is loaded with software that uses optical character recognition and text-to-speech technology to read aloud the words contained in user-captured photos. Once it's called into action, the $4,860 device supplies the operator with an initial "situation report" that attempts to describe whatever's in the camera's field of vision; if the report indicates that the desired text is within range, owners can then choose to snap a photo and listen to the resulting translation. Although the K-NFB is scheduled to be released soon by the UK's Sight & Sound, several technical issues -- most importantly, the software's difficulty in understanding inverted (white-on-black) text -- still have to be ironed out before it's available to the public.[Thanks, Megan]
Superfourin wheelchair opens up a new world to the disabled
A radical new GPS-enabled wheelchair with fat tires and four-wheel drive may soon offer disabled individuals the ability to tool around almost any terrain while still being protected by a virtual "tether" to a remote command center. The Superfourin chair, as it's known, is basically a modified ATV with a hybrid engine, on-board computer, and embedded sensors to monitor both vital signs and vehicle status, and was developed by Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Information and Data Processing IITB in conjunction with Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH. Designed mostly for deployment in fleets for group outings into Mother Nature's thoughtlessly unpaved terrain, the Superfourin was also given high marks for solo use from its multiple sclerosis-afflicted test driver, who was able to enjoy the Thüringer Forest alone with his family for the first time in years.[Via Gizmag]
