Nailed it!
We’ve been thinking a lot lately about designs that would help a couple of clients who have arthritis but are adamant about not giving up their long fingernails. So we’re thrilled to see the TAD, which slips over any finger and provides a pointer that at least makes accessing cellphone buttons and touch screens easier. Comes with three interchangeable tips, available in your choice of three sizes and six fashion colors, and will only set you back about $6.
I don’t see what you’re saying
One of the problems for some would-be speech output users is that most speech output strategies require tricky or intense use of the keyboard, mouse, or both; this can be a particular problem for seniors. Some German researchers have come up with a pretty cool solution involving use of facial recognition technology: just close your eyes, and Microsoft Word reads back the “current” sentence (presumably the one where the cursor is located). Ein guter Start; we’d love to see additional features, such as the ability to blink slowly to have the speech output move to and read the next line.
ACM Digital Library: Spoken words: activating text-to-speech through eye closure (summary)
Adventures in the skin trade
Firmo is a prototype system that uses a weak AC field to transform your skin into a signal transmission system for use with appliances, point-of-sale systems, and so on. Could be great for those with limited dexterity–or even no dexterity; we assume noses and toes would transmit just as well as fingers.
It’s design of the times
What’s better than a mainstream product with accessibility features? Why, a whole Microsoft competition full of promising designs, of course. We particularly like the electronic music stand that allows score pages to be turned via touch screen or foot pedal, the bracelet that wirelessly uploads information, and the neck-worn PC that automatically captures exciting events on tape (audio or video?) whenever the user’s heart rate increases–all of which could be useful to people with various levels of dexterity disabilities. Also submitted was the previously-noted ZEN PC with its tactile interface.
Gizmodo: Next-Gen PC concepts include laser screens, tactile interfaces, glossiness
More CAPTCHA follies
We’ve posted a good bit about CAPTCHAs, the automated techniques that try to distinguish humans from vile software bots when visiting websites or registering for accounts, such as the blurry letters you have to type into a box. It’s an arms race between CAPTCHA designers and bot designers, with visually impaired users as collateral damage.
The latest design calls for users to click near the geometric center of any image in a composite set of wall-to-wall images drawn from a database. That’s only step one; step two shows you another image, which you must identify from a list of options. They’re gonna have to get really creative to figure out a non-visual approach to this task. And hey, webmaster, is your site’s porn late medieval Italian poetry really worth all this effort?
Ars Technica: Researchers stay step ahead of bots with image-based CAPTCHA
What it sees is what you get
Evolution Robotics has announced that its ViPR visual search engine will arrive on the iPhone this June. What’s a visual search engine? Take a picture of any book, CD, or DVD, and information about it comes back to your mobile phone. Sounds amazing, no? It even works when the object is upside down or partially hidden.
Consider the implications for blind, low vision, and cognitively disabled users, especially once it can recognize other objects, places, people….
Extra credit
The three major credit reporting firms (Experian, Equifax, Transunion) just announced a deal with the American Council of the Blind to ensure that their website is accessible and their hard copy reports are made available in alternative formats. So now people with visual disabilities can more easily find out that they’re in as much financial trouble as everyone else…
Law Office of Lainey Feingold: Accessible Credit Reports Press Release