disability
Games
Disabled Gamer Builds Custom Whole-Body PS3 Setup
10:20AM Jason Chen | How much do we take being able to play games for granted? Disabled gamer KitsuneYume surely doesn’t, seeing as he rigged a PS3 controller setup to work by using his entire body as input triggers, which allows him to hit a respectable 20 out of 25 possible PS3 controller functions. How well does it work? He was able to beat demos of Mirror’s Edge, Heavenly Sword, Eternal Sonata and every other demo on the PSN. Dude, what’s your address? Let’s get you some retail games already as reward for having such an awesome setup. [PSN via Kotaku] More »
Games
eDimensional’s Ben Heck 1-Hand New Access Controller Now Available
3:50AM Jason Chen | Ben Heck of modding fame follows up his 5.1 headset for eDimensional with a one-handed PS3/PS2/PC controller. Although it’s made for disabled gamers to play games they otherwise couldn’t on a standard DualShock gamepad because of the swappable control modules, it’s also very useful for regular gamers who need something they can handle with one hand while eating. More »
Peripherals
Footime Mouse Lets You Operate Your Mouse Hands-free, Not Feet-free
8:05PM Haroon Malik | So, you’re at your desk typing away, but what are your feet doing? If they’re wandering about aimlessly, put them to work by investing in a Footime Mouse, which allows you to control your cursor by using feet-based gestures. Retailing at US$199, the Footime Mouse could actually provide great functionality for those with physical disabilities, or alternatively, it could help the chronically bored dispose of some free time. More »
Gadgets
Kurzweil Develops First Seeing-Eye Cellphone
1:26AM Wilson Rothman | One of the pet projects of Ray Kurzweil, genius inventor and futurist, is camera-based reading for blind and learning-disabled people. His original designs were chunky by our standards, a Canon Digital Elph literally strapped to a PDA. Now, working with the National Federation of the Blind, Kurzweil’s group has shrunk the knfbREADER Mobile system down into something more convenient: the small Symbian-based 5-megapixel Nokia N82 smartphone. More »
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Touchless Keyboard Lets Disabled People Type With Their Heads
11:01PM Wilson Rothman | This touchless keyboard system’s breakthrough is that it combines both the typing and the mousing in a single sensor. When configured on a standard PC, the user wears the headgear shown in the picture, and navigates and types by moving their head and neck. Here’s what separates this product from similar ones: More »
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Vocal Joystick Makes Everyone Go Aaaaaah Oooooooh Ka-Ching!
9:00PM Jesus Diaz | I know this video shouldn’t make me laugh because the Vocal Joystick—a software that allows you to control your computer mouse using eight vowel sounds and the “sounds k and ch simulate clicking and releasing the buttons”—is amazing for people with disabilities. But I can’t help it, I just find it hilarious. Its developers at the University of Washington have now came up with a version that controls a robotic arm to further help people with serious mobility problems. More »
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LevelStar’s Icon Mobile Manager is a Screenless PDA
1:40AM Seamus Byrne | The Icon Mobile Manager by Levelstar is designed with a different clientele in mind: the visually impaired. Instead of a screen, the Icon features audio menus to help the user navigate, and acts as a hub for daily technology-related activities. This thing is just a great idea, designed specifically to give functionality to a user base that hasn’t enjoyed a PDA this full-featured. Despite being a niche product, the Icon Mobile Manager doesn’t skimp on power. More »
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