Computter adaptation
SensoGlove knows from good golf grips, and tells you when yours is off. It’s got both video and output to help you adjust your finger positions. Something like this might be helpful for people who need dexterity retraining as a result of, say, a stroke, or need permanent assistance due to neuralgia or similar conditions.
Gizmodo: Digital golf glove tells you exactly hard to grip it
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.”
You must remember this…
And the iPad jumps into the world of brainwaved-powered operation. Currently used for osculatory goals, but other applications could be developed, either to allow people with little or no dexterity to run apps or to serve as a biofeedback trainer.
Dvice: iPad kissing game improves your ‘Jedi mind tricks for dating’ skills
Ubuntu in your face
An Ubuntu prototype will react to your face and body position in a variety of ways–automatically making text larger as you move away, for example, or expanding a video to full-screen mode if you lean back. Very promising for both vision and dexterity accommodations.
Engadget: Ubuntu prototype uses face recognition to intelligently move UI elements
You go, gel
Bödysöf is a new shower gadget that removes the need for squeezing bottles of bath gel. Instead, it lets you pull a lever to dispense gel into the stream of your shower. Looks pretty friendly for people with arthritis and other dexterity impairments. Available in chrome for $140 or plastic for $80; umlauts sold separately.
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.
Eye control by earphones
NTT DoCoMo has come up with prototype earphones that can detect eye movements — without a camera — and send commands to phones, media players, etc. Your eye-rolling teen may just be doing homework. If this gets commercialized, people with extremely impaired dexterity may have a new, low-cost option for computer input, environmental control, and more.
Eye-controlled earphones let you pick up phone calls with a glance