Google Glass For Prosthetics And Blind Athletes

Google Glass, 3D printing, Prosthetics! We have heard so much about these in the recent past, and we will keep hearing about them since things are progressing so well in each of these avenues! Today, we have two different stories related to Google Glass - one, that will help people get cheaper prosthetics, and two, a blind paralympian using Google Glass to show kids his point of view and boost their confidence.

Prosthetics With Google Glass

Traditionally, getting prosthetics requires traveling to a clinic where a huge measuring machine with a robotic arm determines the specifications for the needed leg brace or prosthetics. Of course, this process is not inexpensive since the machine itself costs tense of thousands of dollars, and typically, the clinic would like to pass on costs to clients.

This will soon hopefully change. A research team at University of Delaware is exploring more affordable and convenient ways to do the exact same thing, but without the additional exorbitant costs of getting prosthetics from a traditional clinic.

The team is using Google Glass to capture all the information of the foot and lower leg in videos. These videos are then stitched together to get a 3D model of the cast and then instantly transformed into a template for a 3D printer. This method will first of all, cut down costs for the patients and second of all, make it convenient to go through this process at home without even going to the clinic to get the measurements taken. The patient can print the leg brace at home if they have a 3D printer or send it to a 3D printing lab or studio.

The team will soon be applying for funding to expand into prosthetic manufacturing as well.

A combination of technology like Google Glass and 3D printing helps bring manufacturing to everyday consumers who are not engineers or manufacturers.

Google Glass And A Blind Paralympian

Disability advocates are always looking for different ways to showcase abilities, and not disabilities of disabled people. Google Glass will be used for just that purpose.

Lex Gilette is a blind paralympian who began to lose his sight when he was seven years old. He has won three silver medals and holds the world record for long jump for F11 classified athletes. Being blind, he has to depend on someone to direct him down the runway and make calls for him on the fly.

"No need for sight when you have a vision."

Lex's plan is to wear Google Glass and show his perspective to high school kids so they could see what all it entails, and how a blind paralympian does it. The idea is to show kids that everything is possible, and how being not able bodied does not cause hindrance to your goals. Through Google Glass, Lex aims to make high school kids more confident.

Hit the source links to read more about both the stories.

Source: Newsworks (1), Fast Coexist (2)

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First Braille Phone Goes On Sale In UK!

Technology is so amazing and friendly that it has made many things accessible - including phones! All smartphones today, with the help of native features and several apps, can help blind users perform several tasks very easily (including making phone calls, of course)! However, what if you find technology intimidating? What if you like things to be as simple as possible and are okay with a device that will help you keep in touch with your loved ones with minimal interaction with technology?

If that's the case, the OwnFone is the solution for you!

A phone that only has a list of names and pretty much nothing else, OwnFone lets a blind user make phone

calls to 4 to 12 of their loved ones with the touch of a button. The device has names of their loved ones listed in Braille which can also be listed in raised text if the user cannot read Braille. All they have to do is press a name and a call is immediately made to that person. This phone also receives phone calls from the same set of people. The size of a credit card, OwnFone can be used for both day to day conversations and emergency purposes.

The price of the phone varies from �40.00 to �70.00 depending on how many names you want listed on the phone. In addition, OWnFone has monthly plans for talk time starting at �7.50 and going up to �15.

The cost of the phone is kept low because it is 3D printed!

If you know someone who is not very fond of technology and are keeping away from smart phones because they "don't get it", OwnFone may be a good option for them! This phone may also be a good option for people with multiple disabilities who would like their device to perform desired tasks with minimal interaction.

This phone is currently available only in the UK.

Source: OwnFone via BBC

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CDesk: An Accessible Collection Of Applications For PC

For people who have visual and/or cognitive disabilities and are heavy users of computers, CDesk, a suite of computer applications, may be a tremendous help.

CDesk is a high contrast, large print, and fully speech enabled collection of eight applications that can help people with disabilities perform computer related tasks in a very simple fashion. The collection consists of programs specifically for email, a special browser for the Internet (with reduced clutter) and special filters that will remove all images and links form the page to make reading easy (this is true for the email program too), a media and books section that consists of internet radio and downloadable books/periodicals, a simple to use word processor, and its own speech recognition tool called PEGGY, to name a few. CDesk also stores contacts, provides calendar/spreadsheet/calculator options and has the ability to support approximately 30 more languages. Currently, CDesk is available only for the Windows platform (speech recognition works only with Windows 7 and 8).

A lot of supporting material in the form of videos are available on CDesk's website. They also provide free technical support from 7AM to 5PM Pacific time to answer questions and provide help with CDesk.

A 15 day trial version can be downloaded from here or by going to CDesk's website and clicking the "Download CDesk Trial" button. The pricing for CDesk starts at $395.

Watch this video to get an overview of what all CDesk can do.

Read more about CDesk on the AFB AccessWorld Magazine website.

CDesk website: Adaptive Voice

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FDA Approved Bionic Eye

Image source: Engadget

The FDA recently approved a bionic eye that will bring limited vision to people who suffer from a specific type of blindness.

The technology behind this bionic eye, known as artificial retina, will allow people who suffer from retinitis pigmentosa (a condition that causes night blindness, blurring, poor color separation, etc.), to see crosswalks, outlines of trees, cars, people; large numbers/letters among other things. It also helps them identify objects that have a contrast between light and dark - for example, black socks mixed with white ones.

This new device, named Argus II, uses electrodes implanted in the eye, a pair of glasses with a camera attached and a portable video processor that can be worn on the waist. The camera embedded in the glasses captures the scene. This video is processed by the video processor and sent to the implant in the eye, which emits small pulses of electricity that in turn simulate the retina's remaining cells, and conveys visual information to the brain.

As of now, 10,000 to 15,000 Americans will qualify for the Argus II (eligibility: must be over 25; have previously had useful vision. Also, the Argus II should provide a substantial improvement to their current blindness). The device would cost around $150,000 and that does not include the cost of surgery and training. Second Sight, the company that makes this device, is hopeful that soon insurance companies would start covering it.

As mentioned above, this device is currently being made available only to people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, but it is being looked at as a promising step for treatment for people who have macular degeneration. Eventually, Second Sight plans to use this technology to solve blindness caused by all causes.

Please read the article at the source link to learn more about this technological marvel that has opened many avenues in the assistive technology area. Don't forget to watch the video at the top of that source article too!

What do you think of this invention? A blessing for sure, but does it have limitations? Does it require a lot of work still? What are your thoughts? Please share in the comments section!

Source: NY Times (thank you, Tom Walton!)
Video: Engadget

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Implant For Age Related Macular Degeneration

Scientists at UC Davis Health Systems have successfully started installing implants into eyes of patients who suffer from age-related macular degeneration, thus giving them brand new vision.

Macular degeneration, the leading cause of legal blindness in Americans over the age of 60, damages the macula - the part of the retina that provides central vision. This loss of central vision affects a person's ability to perform daily tasks. Unfortunately, macular degeneration has been known to cause depression and diminish quality of life.

The Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) is an extremely tiny implant that has been approved for end-stage age-related macular degeneration. With a combination of mirrors, the implant magnifies the image 2-3 times of the normal size and projects on the retina for the eye to see.

Retina Specialists at UC Davis Health Systems started installing the implant in May, and so far 50 patients have received it. One of the recipients, an 89 year old artist named Virginia Bane who stopped   painting four years ago because of age related macular degeneration, is extremely enthralled. "I can see better now", she said after the surgery. "Colors are more vibrant, beautiful and natural, and I can read large prints with my glasses. I haven't been able to read for the past seven years. I look forward to being able to paint again."

Soon Virginia would be able to see even better as she retrains her brain how to see.

Approximately 60% of the patients were able to see three or more lines on the eye chart right after surgery.

The patient needs to met the following requirements to receive this implant:

• Must be at least 75 years of age.
• Must have retinal findings of geography atrophy or disciform scar with foveal involvement.
• Must have BCVA of 20/160 - 20/800.
• Must have evidence of a cataract in one eye.
• Must be willing to undergo pre-operative screening and post operative training with a low vision therapist.

Hit the source links to read more.

Source: UC Davis Health Systems (1), UC Davis Health Systems (2), Fox News via Gizmodo
Image sources: UC Davis Health Systems (1)

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FotoBabble: Add Voice To Your Photos

Sharing your photos with people with visual impairment just got a lot more easier and fun. Well, visual impairment may not allow them to see your pictures, but they would still love to hear  about your experiences, right? But what if they are far away from you - a couple of states, maybe an ocean away? That's when FotoBabble comes into the picture. FotoBabble is a web/mobile service that lets you add voice to your pictures. You can sign up for this service (it's free) and use either their website or iPhone app to create pictures with audio descriptions. You can either upload your own picture or choose one from Facebook, and add an audio description (maximum 60 seconds) to it.

Here is picture from FotoBabble with a very good audio description of the picture (click the play button at the bottom left corner of the picture to hear the audio).

Here is a quick tutorial on how to add audio to a picture using FotoBabble.




Website: www.FotoBabble.com
iPhone app (free): iTunes Store

Source: Mashable

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CATRA - Smartphone Accessory That Detects Cataract

CATRA is a highly portable, and easy to use accessory that attaches itself to a smart phone and easily detects cataract. Made from off the shelf components, and consisting of no moving parts, CATRA, developed by Ramesh Raskar's team at MIT, is being considered to be ideal for the developing world.

The user is made to look through the accessory and press a few buttons. Doing so allows the app to collect quantifiable data and create an attenuation map, which in turn helps detect cataracts.

Watch this (technical) video to know more about CATRA.

Note: Although the price of the accessory is not mentioned anywhere, the same team designed a similar accessory called NETRA for eye exams which costs $1.

For more technical details, and to read the paper, hit the source link.
Source: MIT

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