disabled

Thursday, May 7, 2009
Games

NES Hands Free Let You Control Mario with Your Tongue

2:20AM Adam Frucci | Back in the NES days, Nintendo offered up a controller that, chances are, you’ve never heard of before. It was the Hands Free, and it was designed for the disabled. More »
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Friday, June 6, 2008
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 »
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Sunday, September 23, 2007
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Ishikawa-Namiki Komuro Preparing “Sight” System for the Blind

2:00AM Haroon Malik | The boffins at Ishikawa-Namiki Komuro Laboratory are working on a device that will allow “optical-hair modules” to provide spatial information via haptic cues. The modules will be able to process information and then pass this onto “vibro-tactile” units, which would be placed directly on the skins surface. Essentially, this means a suit containing the sensors could be worn as a secondary skin, this would then relay feedback signals to the (real) skin’s surface when an obstruction is detected. The scientists claim that the device they are developing will have much in common with similar biological structures such as cellular cilia, insect antennae and sensory mammalian whiskers. The technology hopes to be implemented to aid those with visual impairment, as well as those who work in potentially hazardous environments. Finally, we shall have the superhero senses we have dreamed of/earned by blogging rights. [Ishikawa-Namiki Komuro via Techdigest] More »
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Saturday, September 8, 2007
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Thought-Controlled Wheel Chair Helps the Disabled

9:56AM Gizmodo US Edition | A wheel chair being developed by Ambient will allow users to control its movement with just their thoughts — a breakthrough device that could be a huge help for the paralyzed. Called the Audeo, the chair works by intercepting brain signals sent to your larynx and decoding them to match previously recorded words, such as “forward,” “back,” or “fire laser.” Luckily, there is no complex cyborg-like surgery involved, as the device works by using a sensor-covered neckband to detect the brain signals and wirelessly transmit them to a nearby computer for processing. Theoretically, the signals can also be sent to a speech synthesizer, allowing a paralyzed user to speak with all the intensity and creepiness of Stephen Hawking. Pretty amazing in its simplicity, I’m curious to see how accurate this thing is and that it won’t be sending our handicapped flying backwards into traffic. [Ambient via SciFi] More »
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