Gadgets designed for people with disabilities have been developed by engineers from the University of Maryland. The development is designed to simplify their interaction with other people and the world.
A joint effort was made by scientists from the University of Maryland, York University in Canada and the Pamoja Community Organization in Kenya to create a DIY system called TalkBox and SenseBox. The study is published on the website of the University.
The devices use in their work an inexpensive Raspberry Pi microcomputer, inexpensive sensors and a speaker.
TalkBox allows people to communicate by touching images on an attached surface. After touching, audio files that are stored in the system are played.
SenseBox works on a similar principle, but it relies on tactile objects that are recognized by sensors. The latter have radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.
The device system has been successfully tested in Kenya. In the future, scientists plan to bring them into mass production.
Recently, another development has been reported that makes life easier for people. Ford has created a special
jacket for cyclists called Emoji Jacket. The novelty is equipped with a built-in screen that is capable of displaying emoji characters.