Top 7 Technologies to help People with Disability
Technology and new ‘devices’ are all the rage in the modern world. Everyone seems to want to discuss the latest ‘toys’ they use both in the workplace and at home. Here are some new technological breakthroughs designed to make life easier for people with disability.
Top 7 Technologies to Help People with Disability
The Kapten PLUS Personal Navigation Device This is another device that is designed to assist people with visual disabilities. It functions very much like a GPS device which helps the person who uses it just as someone would in a car, except they use it while navigating in person. This technology can help a person navigate their way and plan a safe route to get where they need to go. Control is either by pressing buttons, or giving voice commands.
The iBot Stair Climbing Wheelchair This is a brave new world for people who use wheelchairs for their general mobility. Segway inventor, Dean Kamen, created the prototype for this form of wheelchair. But, now it’s progressing into an even more futuristic form of transportation; only the future is now. Read more
The Deka Arm This extraordinary piece of technology is meant to be used by individuals who have had arm amputations. The project to create the arm was sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to aid veterans, people with diabetes, and others who have lost limbs. It offers far better control than previous artificial limbs, and apparently, has sufficient control to lift an item as small as a single grape. Read more
The ReWalk Exoskeleton This remarkable piece of technology was developed in Israel by an engineer, Amit Goffner. After an accident that rendered him a paraplegic, Goffner developed the ‘suit’ which enables people with spinal cord injuries to gain another level of mobility. It is already FDA-approved, and in use for people who are paraplegics (but not quadriplegics). While this is FDA-approved, it’s unclear how funding would be obtained for the exoskeleton. Still, it represents a new world for people who are paraplegics and enables them to be more mobile than ever before. Read more.
OrCam is another marvelous invention from Israel; this one assists people who are blind to gain a higher degree of mobility independence. “The company has developed an intuitive portable device that mounts a smart camera on eyeglass frames. Using artificial vision, OrCam recognizes text and products and speaks them to its wearer via a bone-conduction earpiece. This easy-to-use device can help read printed text in real-time, assisting the visually-impaired to consume newspapers, books, signs, and labels on products.” Read more
AVA This new solution is meant to assist people who are in the Deaf Culture to communicate in a group where not everyone understands or uses American Sign Language. It literally facilitates the communication. “In a conversation, with the use of each participant’s smartphone’s microphone, the AVA app catches what they are saying then converts it into text in real time. Each speaker has its corresponding text bubble, differentiated by color, just like what you would find in a regular group messaging chat. Download Android and Ios App
Sesame Phone is the world’s first hands-free smartphone developed in Israel. “Developed by a quadriplegic IDF veteran and a young game developer, the Sesame Phone is the first completely touch-free smartphone. People who lack use of their hands can now make calls, send emails and engage in social media using voice activation and ground-breaking head tracking technology.” Download App
IN SUMMARY
Technological advancements for people with disabilities are becoming more remarkable each year. Many of these technologies are opening up new worlds for people with disability, empowering them to live fulfilling lives and increasing their level of independence. Most of all, however, they enable people with disabilities to live life on their terms – to come and go as they please, to travel, etc. It is life as it should be.
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