iPad dock will add gesture control
A dock for the Apple iPad will allow users to sweep and swipe in mid-air, as far away as a foot from the iPad. No word yet on what gestures will be included, but they will let you control regular apps. We may also see special apps written for the dock; maybe someone will be smart/kind enough to write apps for people with dexterity limitations, cognitive disabilities, etc. — this is a perfect gadget for adding even more accessibility to the already-stellar iPad. Not having to hold the iPad will make it easier for dexterity impaired users, and with a camera-equipped iPad, it may facilitate sign language video. (Not that the combo would recognize ASL — having the iPad in a dock, controllable from a certain distance would make it easier for someone standing back and signing.)
CES 2011: iPad dock with Motion Sensing Controls to Debut – I4U News
Bedside table serves as Twitter interface
An art project recently displayed in Saint-Etienne, France, has an interesting interface: it uses a bedside table with a scanner built into its drawer. Place a photo (or a handwritten note?) into the drawer, and the image is automatically scanned and sent to Twitter. Could be a low-effort social networking strategy for people with limited movement.
Clock provides visual cues on appropriate sleep/wake times
We’ve previously covered persistent alarm clocks, but never appreciated the need to address a complimentary problem: people who wake up early and don’t realize that others in their household still need to sleep. Now there’s the Stoplight Alarm Clock, which flashes red at “appropriate” sleeping times and green at customary wake-up times. Could be useful for some folks with autism or other cognitive disabilities.
Voice-activated flashlight
From the world of Harry Potter comes a voice-activated flashlight that responds to whatever on and off commands you record. Could be great for people with dexterity or visual disabilities, and anyone in the middle of a power outage.
Diminished Reality
We’ve covered augmented reality interfaces, where a video image is superimposed with additonal content, such as the history of a building your camera is pointed at. Now researchers at the Technische Universität in Ilmenau, Germany are going the other way — removing objects from the camera’s output, in real time. This might work well as a wayfinding interface for people with low vision or cognitive disabilities. Imagine a street scene with all the signs still there, but none of the bustling, distracting people. Like a 10 megapixel neutron bomb.
Gizmodo: Magic Software Eliminates Objects From Reality Itself
Nokia if you got ‘em
You’ve got a Nokia N8 phone. You’ve got a TV or other display with an HDMI interface. You plug the former into the latter, and voila: an instant magnified, touchscreen-style interface for a limited number of functions, such as running a slide show or operating a calculator. More capabilities to come, we hope.
MobileCrunch: Nokia turns any display into a touchscreen with “Plug and Touch.”
Digital measurements
The Smart Finger prototype is essentially a gesture-based system for measuring short distances. Put the paired devices on two of your fingers, and they’ll give you a readout indicating the measurement in either metric or U.S. units. Has the potential to be a good strategy for people with dexterity disabilities; could be helpful to people with visual or cognitive disabilities if what seems to be a large-print display were also high-contrast, and if there were an audio output option as well.