Disabled Man Plays Minecraft with His Eyebrows

Posted on 13/05/2014 by Conner Flynn

The man you see here is Alex. He is a gamer who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy. That means that he lacks the muscular control and therefore the precision to use standard controllers. Now stop for a second and imagine how frustrating that must be. You love playing games, but your body is working against you.

Luckily for Alex and others like him, Special Effect is here to help. It is a charitable organization in the UK that helps disabled gamers play. Yes, that really exists and it is awesome.

The outfit set up a rig that lets Alex control the game by twitching his eyebrows. He plays Minecraft just as well as anyone else in fact, by moving the tiny levers placed over his eyebrows. He uses one control to place blocks, and the other to jump, while a gaze tracking system lets him move around. Alex also plays FIFA using the same system, with the eyebrow switches controlling passing and shooting.

[via Kotaku via Neatorama]

Ben Heck Creates One-Handed PS4 Controller for Disabled

Posted on 14/03/2014 by Conner Flynn

Our favorite modder, Ben Heck, has come up with another cool creation. As he has done numerous times in the past, he has built a special controller to help the disabled to play video games. The modified gaming controller was requested by one of his viewers and as usual, he has delivered.

This accessibility controller lets gamers with use of only a single hand play PS4 games. All the buttons on the left side have been shifted and re-fitted on the right side, including the left analog stick, which was put on the back of the unit. Ben will reveal the build on an upcoming episode of his show, but the 40 second trailer here gives us a little tease.

This is going to make a lot of folks very happy. Keep an eye out on Element 14 for the full episode, which is expected to premiere later today.

[via BGR via New Launches]

Georgia Tech’s Tongue Drive wheelchair proves quicker than traditional breath controls

Posted on 29/11/2013 by Jon Fingas

Georgia Tech researchers believed that tongue-controlled devices could help the disabled, and now they have solid proof. A new study shows that the school's wearable Tongue Drive System lets the paralyzed control wheelchairs three times faster than they would using an ordinary breath-based approach. The speediness is due to TDS' intuitive design, Georgia Tech says -- wearers use a magnetic piercing in their tongue as a joystick, which is both faster and more logical than puffing into a straw. It's subtler, too, as wearers don't block their faces with as much equipment. Trials have so far been limited to hospitals and labs, but the findings pave the way for real-world tests. Eventually, Georgia Tech hopes for widespread use that improves tetraplegics' mobility -- and gives them more control over their lives.

Filed under: Transportation, Wearables, Alt

Comments

Via: The Verge

Source: Georgia Tech

Slow Playback Answering Machine

Posted on 09/09/2013 by Craziest Gadgets Jeff

slow playing answering machine Slow Playback Answering Machine
How many times have you gotten a message on your answering machine that either has the person talking so fast you don’t understand them or giving you so much information you don’t have time to jot it all down? Problem solved with the Slow Playback Answering Machine Telephone.

The machine can amplify message volume by up to 50db and decrease the speed of playback by 50% at the push of a button so you can hear and understand your messages. A bright visual ring lights on both the handset and base indicate incoming calls. This cordless phone with large buttons “speak” each key as you press it. There are a lot of people who could benefit from the features of this phone including (but obviously not limited to) the elderly.

Slow Playback Answering Machine

Griffin MouthStick Helps the Disabled Operate Tablets and More

Posted on 02/03/2013 by Shane McGlaun

All around the world there are a huge number of people who have been injured in automotive, leisure or industrial accidents, or were born with limited control over their bodies. There are a number of medical conditions that can make people unable to control their arms well enough to work the gadgets that many take for granted, such as tablets and laptops. Griffin has announced a new product specifically designed for those with physical challenges, to allow them to use today’s technology more easily. The product is called the Griffin MouthStick Stylus, and is designed to be held in the mouth using a food-grade stainless steel mouthpiece. That mouthpiece has latex free silicone rubber sleeves to protect the teeth. The shaft of the stylus is long and curved like a gooseneck and tipped with a conductive silicone tip. The stylus will operate the capacitive screens of smartphones, tablets, or other touchscreen devices. The stylus can also be used to type on a laptop keyboard and control other devices as well including the Apple Magic trackpad. The stylus will ship in Q2 for $29.99(USD) with replacement mouthpiece sleeves and silicone rubber tips available for a small charge.

Griffin MouthStick Stylus Makes Tablets Accessible

Posted on 01/03/2013 by Craziest Gadgets Jeff

mouthstick stylus Griffin MouthStick Stylus Makes Tablets Accessible
Using an iPad can be an incredibly useful tool but for those with limited mobility in their arms it might as well be a television. The Griffin MouthStick Stylus is a mouth held stylus with a conductive rubber tip that lets the motor disabled use touchscreen interfaces on smartphones and tablet devices, the keys on laptop keyboards, and Apple’s Magic Trackpad.
griffin mouthstick Griffin MouthStick Stylus Makes Tablets Accessible
What makes the Griffin MouthStick unique compared to other mouthsticks is the flexible gooseneck shaft. Most other ones are a straight stick design. The user can adjust the tip to an angle that’s most natural and comfortable. Everything is hygienic (BPA-free removable y-shaped mouthpiece, food grade stainless steel) and designed for maximum user comfort, stability and control. The MouthStick was just announced and will be available sometime in the Spring at a reasonably price of $29.99.

Griffin MouthStick Stylus Makes Tablets Accessible

Access4Kids input device allows disabled children to control touch-centric tablets (video)

Posted on 11/12/2012 by Darren Murph

The innovation world at large has been crafting ways for handicapped individuals to interact with computers for years on end, but the issue of tablets has created another predicament entirely. How do you enable someone to masterfully control a touch-centric device, when the mere act of touching is a challenge? Ayanna Howard, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Georgia Tech, and graduate student Hae Won Park have created Access4Kids, which is described as a "wireless input device that uses a sensor system to translate physical movements into fine-motor gestures to control a tablet."

In essence, it enables individuals with limited mobility to pinch and swipe, and the group has had success thus far with providing greater accessibility to flagship programs like Facebook and YouTube. Moreover, custom-built apps for therapy and science education are cropping up, with the existing prototype utilizing a trio of force-sensitive resistors that measure pressure and convert it into a signal that instructs the tablet. A child can wear the device around the forearm or place it on the arm of a wheelchair and hit the sensors or swipe across the sensors with his or her fist, providing an entirely new level of interaction for those with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, spina bifida and muscular dystrophy. The goal? Once it's honed, to get it out of the lab and made "into a commercial product." Head on past the break for a video look.

Continue reading Access4Kids input device allows disabled children to control touch-centric tablets (video)

Filed under: Tablets, Science, Alt

Comments

Source: Georgia Tech

Enhancing Mobility

Posted on 12/10/2012 by Troy Turner

The Fractal Machine was designed to help those with mobile disabilities participate in anaerobic and aerobic exercises as well as those who have a need to rapidly adapt to using a wheelchair. Attachable to almost any standard wheelchair, the unit offers resistance training that focuses on work muscles in the upper body to condition and build the muscles that are used most often. It’s a great fitness solution for athletes and casual users alike.

Designer: Wilmer Montiel

$fractal_002$

$fractal_03$

$fractal_04$

$fractal_005$

$fractal_06$

$fractal_07$

$fractal_08$

-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(Enhancing Mobility was originally posted on Yanko Design)

Toyota builds assistive robot to help the disabled around the home

Posted on 24/09/2012 by Daniel Cooper

Toyota has built the Human Support Robot, a 70 pound 'droid designed to help the elderly and less-able around the home. The tablet-and-voice-controlled unit can open your curtains, fetch items and even pick up after you, thanks to its single telescopic arm that stretches up to 2.5 feet. A tablet slot on top of its head lets you use the hardware as a telepresence device, although we're more interested in teaching it some attitude so we can live out our "sassy housekeeper" sitcom fantasies in peace.

Filed under: Robots

Toyota builds assistive robot to help the disabled around the home originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink