Tag Archives: disabled

Retrofit Wheelchair Enhancement

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Synergise is a thoughtful wheelchair add-on, retro-fittable on almost any existing model, that aims to help users navigate more effectively and efficiently. Akin to having bicycle brakes, the ratchet system allows wheelchair users to negotiate angled surfaces with reduced friction and increased efficiency over endurance with reduced risks of RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) to the user.

The two-way ratchet mechanism is based on a wheel that has teeth cut out of it and a pawl that follows as the wheel turns. It can only go in one direction with the pawl in place, lifting one pawl and placing the other pawl on the other side makes the shaft go in the other direction. Cables linked to a shifter on the handlebar would lift the pawls. Each lever has independent control allowing the user to go forward, backward and rotate on the spot.

The brake is a rope dynamometer attached to the shaft with the main cog which is a frictional brake. A metallic strip is in a grooved spool and when you pull the brake lever, the cable pulls the strip and touches the spool creating friction and slowing down the wheelchair in a controlled manner. This is a useful tool to reduce stress going across cambered surfaces and cornering as well as braking.

Designer: Patrick Hyland

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(Retrofit Wheelchair Enhancement was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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  2. Wheelchair GT
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Ben Heck creates hands-free wheelchair attachment for expectant father

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Ben Heck may have cut his teeth on hacked gaming consoles, but these days, the modder-turned-show-host has turned a good deal of his focus to projects aimed at improving accessibility and mobility for the disabled. The latest episode of the Ben Heck Show offers up the perfect example of this noble pursuit, built when an expectant father came to him requesting a wheelchair that could be controlled while caring for his newborn. Heck designed a motor assembly add-on for Josh Benhart's chair with a foot-controlled joystick that lives under a 3D printed dome. Given a short amount of lead, Heck, sadly, wasn't able to complete the project in time, though you can check out his progress in the video embedded after the break.

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Ben Heck creates hands-free wheelchair attachment for expectant father originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers use off-the-shelf parts to let you write emails with your eyes (video)

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Researchers use offtheshelf parts to let you write emails with your eye movements, play Pong

There's a lot of research to help the spinal cord or stroke-injured become more self-sufficient, but it often takes some exotic paraphernalia. To buck that trend, scientists from Imperial College London showed that subjects could perform relatively hard tasks like writing messages and playing Pong using eye movement -- with a mere $35-worth of parts. They even showed how well the system worked, with subjects scoring within 20 percent of an able-bodied person after a scant 10 minutes of practice. The tracker works with two video console cameras and a pair of eyeglasses that, after calibration, can precisely track the pupils -- allowing them to control a cursor or move a paddle. The researchers also figured out how to "click" the eye-mouse by winking, and can even use more precise adjustments to calculate gaze depth -- meaning subjects will be able to perform more complex tasks in the future, like guide a motorized wheelchair. While by no means the first eye-tracking system we've seen, it's by far the most economical. Check the video after the break to see how it works.

Continue reading Researchers use off-the-shelf parts to let you write emails with your eyes (video)

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Researchers use off-the-shelf parts to let you write emails with your eyes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 08:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WheelCare

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A lot of wheelchair designs focus on functionality that gives the user more independence, but there are times when help from an assistant or nurse is required. The WheelCare concept features advanced ergonomics that make it just as comfortable for the seated person as it is for the helper. A redesigned cushion handle, easy-to-use rear/front pedals and brakes, as well as customizable height/lean adjustment give added security to both by making it safer and more friendly to use.

Designer: Che-Yu Lu

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(WheelCare was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Blindsquare uses Foursquare data to guide the visually impaired

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Blindsquare uses Foursquare data to guide the visually impaired

Blindsquare is giving guidance systems for the visually disabled a new twist with user-generated Foursquare data, text-to-speech, GPS and some OpenStreetMap mojo. While users are out and about, the app narrates their trip via headphones with information about nearby places, intersections or guidance to their destination. One shake of the iPhone or iPad gives users their current location and a second shake checks them in on Foursquare. The app can also be controlled via a Bluetooth remote while the device sits in a pocket or backpack. After going from concept to completion in six months, it's now out of beta and available on the App Store for $14.99. Sonar gauntlets won't let you check-in to your haunts? Hit the source link to step up that location-based social networking.

Blindsquare uses Foursquare data to guide the visually impaired originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Water-damaged Fujifilm X100 torn apart for fun and education (but mostly fun)

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Water-damaged Fujifilm X100 torn apart for fun and education (but mostly fun)

James Maher had the unfortunate luck of placing his bag and prized Fujifilm X100 in a "dry" container on a fishing trip that didn't keep its contents very dry. Maher survived his harrowing voyage on the SS Hit 'em Hard, but his camera did not. Thankfully, the photographer didn't let his shooter die in vain. He spent precious time dissecting it and disassembling it, piece by piece. Inside was a densely packed puzzle of 130 screws, 50 pieces of tape and over 152 individual parts. Best of all, Maher documented his adventure inside the X100 and posted it online for all of us to enjoy. It's not the first glimpse under the hood, but it's certainly the most thoroughly documented. So hit up the source link and take a peek at what the inside of a sophisticated digital camera looks like.

Water-damaged Fujifilm X100 torn apart for fun and education (but mostly fun) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 04:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not Your Average Wheelchair

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Parafree is a sleek, minimalist wheelchair that offers a functional, stylish & sporty solution for paraplegics looking for a little extra workout throughout the day. The unique frame structure was designed to compel the paralyzed user to maintain constant balance, encouraging abdominal, back & core muscle training. The interaction of arms & core muscles leads to an upright position & helps reduce orthopedic damage.The Paracore-Element copies the three-dimensional movements of human discogenics. This allows a wider range of interactions. Different designs allow for the foamy element to be covered over with benefits like companion-handlebar, optional back lean or even a small luggage rack.

Designer: Felix Lange

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(Not Your Average Wheelchair was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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EyeRing finger-mounted connected cam captures signs and dollar bills, identifies them with OCR (hands-on)

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Ready to swap that diamond for a finger-mounted camera with a built-in trigger and Bluetooth connectivity? If it could help identify otherwise indistinguishable objects, you might just consider it. The MIT Media Lab's EyeRing project was designed with an assistive focus in mind, helping visually disabled persons read signs or identify currency, for example, while also serving to assist children during the tedious process of learning to read. Instead of hunting for a grownup to translate text into speech, a young student could direct EyeRing at words on a page, hit the shutter release, and receive a verbal response from a Bluetooth-connected device, such as a smartphone or tablet. EyeRing could be useful for other individuals as well, serving as an ever-ready imaging device that enables you to capture pictures or documents with ease, transmitting them automatically to a smartphone, then on to a media sharing site or a server.

We peeked at EyeRing during our visit to the MIT Media Lab this week, and while the device is buggy at best in its current state, we can definitely see how it could fit into the lives of people unable to read posted signs, text on a page or the monetary value of a currency note. We had an opportunity to see several iterations of the device, which has come quite a long way in recent months, as you'll notice in the gallery below. The demo, which like many at the Lab includes a Samsung Epic 4G, transmits images from the ring to the smartphone, where text is highlighted and read aloud using a custom app. Snapping the text "ring," it took a dozen or so attempts before the rig correctly read the word aloud, but considering that we've seen much more accurate OCR implementations, it's reasonable to expect a more advanced version of the software to make its way out once the hardware is a bit more polished -- at this stage, EyeRing is more about the device itself, which had some issues of its own maintaining a link to the phone. You can get a feel for how the whole package works in the video after the break, which required quite a few takes before we were able to capture an accurate reading.

Gallery: MIT Media Lab: EyeRing

Continue reading EyeRing finger-mounted connected cam captures signs and dollar bills, identifies them with OCR (hands-on)

EyeRing finger-mounted connected cam captures signs and dollar bills, identifies them with OCR (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blind Man Gets a Ride in Google’s Self-Driving Car

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My grandfather was paralyzed from the waist down from an accident before I was born. As he aged, his health deteriorated until he was unable to drive his own car despite it having specially outfitted controls operated by his hands. That left him unable to do anything outside the home without someone finding time to come and help him. I can appreciate how difficult it is for some people with disabilities to do the simple things that we take for granted like driving to the grocery store or even to get a haircut.

googlecar blind

Google’s self-driving car seems like a cool gadget on one hand, and it is, but I think many people don’t see the real benefit to this sort of technology. I think that self-driving cars hold the biggest potential benefit for people that can’t drive on their own for a multitude of reasons. Recently, a man named Steve Mahan, who happens to be blind, got to go for a ride in Google self-driving car. He said, “Where this would change my life is to give me the independence and the flexibility to go to the places I both want to go and need to go when I need to do those things.”

This technology could really change lives for many people and I’m glad several states are working to approve the operation of these vehicles on public streets. Check out the video above to see Steve during his test drive – and a stop by Taco Bell for lunch.

[via LA Times]