handicapped
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Targeted muscle reinnervation enables your brain to control prosthetic limbs
If you're suddenly overcome with an eerie feeling of déjà vu, fret not, as this idea has certainly been brainstormed before. As scientists aim to make prosthetic limbs more user-friendly, a certain physiatrist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and professor at Northwestern University has developed a technique that enables artificial arms to react directly to the brain's thoughts. The process, dubbed targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR), works by rewiring residual nerves that once carried information to the now-lost appendage to the chest; when the person thinks to move their arm, the chest muscle contracts, and with the help of an electromyogram (EMG), the signal is "directed to a microprocessor in the artificial arm which decodes the data and tells the arm what to do." Currently, "only" four movements are possible after the procedure, but studies are already in full swing to determine if TMR could be used to bless future patients with an even fuller of range of motion.[Image courtesy of ScienceDaily]
Vocal Joystick lets your voice do the browsing
There's a multitude of options out there for handicapped individuals who want to surf the 'net, but a team at the University of Washington is adding one more by developing software that can convert one's voice into cursor commands. Notably, the Vocal Joystick doesn't rely on any speech recognition technology; instead, it "detects [vowel] sounds 100 times a second and instantaneously turns that sound into movement on the screen." Users are then able to move the mouse around the screen and click on links by simply making a variety of noises, and the cursor even speeds up as the person increases his / her volume. 'Course, we're not exactly sure how text is inputted into the address bar, so you'd better have your favorites fully stocked before relying solely on this. Hit the read link for a video demonstration.[Via Physorg]
Otto Bock's prosthetic C-Leg cleared for battle
It's been quite a while since we've heard anything new on the C-Leg, but German firm Otto Bock has now unveiled a sleeker, stronger, and more military-approved version for those in need of a new leg. The microprocessor-controlled knee joint is "the standard prosthesis issued to US fighters who have lost a leg above the knee," offers up a number of "modes" to best suit your current activity, and includes a wireless remote for switching between those modes. The intelligent system within takes data samples of your gait 50 times per second in order to best adapt to your needs, and the internal hydraulics promise "optimal response" no matter how strenuous or demanding the chore. Of course, buying a leg that seemingly puts these natural ones to shame won't run you cheap, as the newest C-Leg will reportedly cost somewhere in the $30,000 to $40,000 range to have it delivered and fitted.[Via Wired]Read - C-Leg used on American soldiersRead - Product Page
Kent State creation enables handicapped to turn PCs on / off
We've seen a smorgasbord of off the wall creations designed to help those with limited motor skills interact with the average PC, but a group of Kent State researchers have returned to square one and devised a more useful method of actually getting the computer turned on in the first place. The team, which including a graduate assistant who has quadriplegia, found the solution by "adding a jack to the back interior wall of the tower and paralleling it to the on / off circuit of the motherboard." Subsequently, any number of sip / puff switches (pictured device is for reference) could be attached to the jack in order to power the machine on without the use of one's hands or feet. Sadly, there was no mention of bringing such a useful creation to market, but with the right handyman, we're sure this project wouldn't be too hard to replicate on your own.[Via Physorg]
Auditory nerve implant could drastically benefit deaf individuals
Early last year, gurus at the University of Michigan were devising a newfangled type of cochlear implant, but now it looks like the Wolverines are more interested in a fresh auditory nerve implant that is being dubbed "a superior alternative" to the (now) old fashioned option. The uber-thin electrode array would purportedly "transmit a wide range of sounds to the brain," and could give profoundly and severely deaf people the ability to "to hear low-pitched sounds common in speech, converse in a noisy room, identify high and low voices, and appreciate music." Researchers on the project are convinced that this technology trumps cochlear implants in every way, and while preliminary patents have already been filed, it'll still be nearly a decade at best before these things can invade human ears en masse.[Via Physorg]
Student co-develops head bangin' music maker
Nah, it's not quite a throwback to the 80s, but Zane Van Dusen has co-developed "a computer interface that tracks the movement of a user's head to allow them to produce electronic sounds and compose music on a virtual keyboard in both solo and ensemble settings." The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute senior worked with a team of musicians and programming gurus to create a device that would enable those with extremely limited mobility to still express their creativity through music, and aside the from therapeutic benefits, it also holds promise for expanding into a venue for verbal communication. Essentially, the user can line him or herself up with a camera, and as the head bobs, the software determines the new X and Y coordinates and "uses the information to play a note or trigger a sound." While it might not be quite as totally radical as the Guitar Zeros, it sure sounds more exciting than the Bacterial Orchestra.[Thanks, Amber]
VeeSee TV brings programming to deaf via IPTV
After hearing that modern technology wasn't exactly doing the deaf any favors, quite a few attempts have sought to reverse the unfortunate trend. Most recently, a new web-based television service has launched in the UK that brings sign language content to IPTV viewers 'round the clock. Dubbed VeeSee TV, the BSL (British Sign Language) channel is currently available via the internet or a set-top-box, and also "includes an interactive forum and user-generated content." Moreover, the creator suggests that this venue will allow "deaf film-makers to show off their own work" while allowing deaf individuals to conveniently catch catered programming anytime during the day. Notably, the service is a part of the ViewTV portal of channels, and while basic content should be up and running right now, a host of new functionality (including webcam conferencing) is planned for the upcoming months.
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]
Deaf gamer seeks subtitles support
Kotaku has reprinted an interesting letter from a deaf gamer asking the ESA to support subtitling in video games. The lack of subtitling means a game's story is often incomprehensible to roughly one percent of the population. Not only that, but audio-only cues are sometimes important to the gameplay itself, such as the beeping bomb-detection device in Metal Gear Solid 2.What's worse, deaf and hard of hearing gamers often have no idea whether a game will cater to them going into a purchase. Game packaging rarely notes the availability of subtitles, and game reviews rarely mention audio accessibility (GameCritics is a notable exception, including a deaf and hard of hearing section in its consumer guides).Game accessibility doesn't stop at hearing loss. Developers are working on audio-only games for the blind and The Switch Project supports simple, one-button games that "can be played by anyone, no matter the disability."
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]
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."
Sensor-clad shirt directs wheelchair sans use of arms, hands
If you think playing tennis (or pwning your television) with a Wiimote is revolutionary, how'd you feel about wheeling through downtown sidewalks without ever moving your fingers, hands, or arms? Doctors and researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Pisa have crafted a sensor-laden shirt "that could help seriously paralyzed individuals steer their wheelchairs." The garment is printed with "52 flexible, piezoresistive sensors made of electroactive polymers that change voltage depending on the angle at which they are stretched." By dynamically sensing the direction and intentions of the user, it can channel the signals to motorized chairs in order to perspicaciously propel severely handicapped individuals who have lost the use of their arms. The team has tested the unit on a paralyzed individual (pictured) in a virtual training maze, where the shirt "learned and adapted" to his specific notions to guide him successfully through the course. While the team envisions the shirt becoming even more useful by possibly adding shoulder sensors for other types of disabilities, they haven't ruled out its use in "other applications" -- and hey, we've got no digs with adding even more motion-sensing goodness to our games.[Via MedGadget]
EIZO's 19-inch FlexScan L797, now with yummy CUD
Eizo just spat-out 19-inches of top-quality CUD for your graphics department to lap up. Designed apparently to assist the color blind, the FlexScan L797 is the first to carry the mark of the CUD, or Color Universal Design, and comes loaded with a "color vision simulation facitlity" to redisplay an on-screen image as a trichromasticly-challenged person would see it. Hell, we're just going off the machine translation here, which also says something about "the potato, by the fact that you improve" so who knows. Nevertheless, the LCD is capable of 1280x1024 (SXGA), a 450:1 contrast ratio, 20-millisecond response cause Jimmy don't game, 170-degree visibility, and 2x DVI inputs. Should drop in Japan for ¥130,000 or about $1,108 starting October 20th.
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]
