Prompt system
Prompt-It is a hardware device that turns text from your smart phone into a teleprompter. Could be a lifesaver for people with any type of dexterity or memory difficulties who have to give a presentation in situations where using other types of notes is difficult or undesirable.
Across the universal
Looks like there are several universal design features to applaud in iOS 4, the new iPhone operating system. The one we’re latching on to is systemwide implementation of typing assistance: auto-suggest and spell check.
There’s no mouse like…no mouse?
We’ve been used to the mouse for some time; grab it and move your hand to navigate a cursor around the screen. But what if a computer could just track your hand instead? Enter Mouseless, a prototype infrared system that directly interprets hand movements for cursor control; wonderful for people whose dexterity makes grasping difficult. You still have to tap your index finger on the table to click, though, which begs the question of whether a different finger or even a different strategy could be assigned.
Gizmodo: First the mouse, then Mighty Mouse, then Magic Mouse and now the Invisible Mouse
Yuban waiting for this
Fingerprint biometrics have been used for security for some time, but finally they’re being applied to something really important–coffee making. The Xelsis Digital ID saves preference information for up to six people, and brews your cup your way at the swipe of a finger. Could have implications for making other appliances easier to use, assuming you have both fingerprints and lots of (Star)bucks–the Xelsis will set you back $2,500.
Bornrich: Xelsis Digital ID Coffee Machine serves by fingerprint identification
Beam me up, Numi
Most of us have wallets or keychains bursting with loyalty and membership cards for various stores, and it doesn’t even take having a disability to experience difficulty finding and retrieving them when needed. Enter the Numi Key, which stores all your card information electronically, then lets you retrieve as needed and wirelessly transmit to a POS device. The display looks pretty legible (can we beg for a voice-output option in a future release?), and the buttons could well be tactilely discernable.
The Gadgeteer: Consolidate your loyalty cards into one device
Look, Mazda, no hands
The Swing Pro Solo Auto concept basically does away with the steering wheel. Instead, you make the car turn simply by leaning in the direction you want to go. This has obvious benefits for upper-limb amputees and anyone who has difficulty with grasping or turning a wheel. We can also see elimination of the wheel as improving driving comfort for people who are obese or pregnant. Finally, for people with cognitive conditions such as left/right dyslexia, leaning is probably going to require less effort and allow faster reaction times than steering.
ShapeWriter
ShapeWriter is a mainstream iPhone/Pod/Pad app that lets users perform data entry by gliding a finger (or a capacitive-friendly stylus?) across a virtual keyboard, which is likely to be accommodating for a range of people with dexterity disabilities who find standard keyboards problematic. As a bonus, ShapeWriter includes word prediction, so that even the gliding is kept to a minimum.
AT Mac: ShapeWriter - iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad Typing Without Lifting Your Finger