Category Archives: Devices

Sonamba Wellbeing Monitor for Independence

Sonamba is an easy-to-use, stand-alone device designed to enhance caregiving for seniors or people who need a little assistance living on their own. Sonamba can send and receive messages, track normal activity patterns and warn of any changes. It provides medication and appointment reminders, and it even calls caregivers or emergency numbers. Anyone with aContinueContinue reading “Sonamba Wellbeing Monitor for Independence”

Wired: People with Quadriplegia prefer to control robots manually – thank you very much!

Wired has a great article about the use of robot arms by people with Quadriplegia. It’s definately worth a read as it surfaces some important considerations around such things as: the importance of feedback mechanisms from devices, the sense of being in control to the degree one’s abilities allow, the importance of quality user testingContinueContinue reading “Wired: People with Quadriplegia prefer to control robots manually – thank you very much!”

Emotiv EPOC Headset Hacked

Back in 2008 on this blog I reported on Emotiv epoc headset development and flagged its potential for thought control input. A few days ago H+ magazine blog featured an interview with Cody Brocious Cody Brocious has created Cody’s Emokit project, an open source library for reading data directly from the Emotiv EPOC EEG headset.ContinueContinue reading “Emotiv EPOC Headset Hacked”

Keyboard Navigation extension for Chrome

Came across an interesting, potentially useful tip on a extension for the Chrome web browser called “Keyboard Navigation”, on the excellent blog makeuseof.com. From the blog: The extension defines a hot key (,) which places a hint next to every link on the page that can be clicked. While the hint is displayed, key inContinueContinue reading “Keyboard Navigation extension for Chrome”

Dagi Transparent Stylus for Capacitive Touch Screens

Isn’t it interesting how we are seeing more and more uses where there’s a need for a stylus on these capacitive touch screens? Just when everyone thinks Steve Jobs has liberated them to the freedom of the finger, it seems we aren’t so free after all and that maybe other forms of pointing can beContinueContinue reading “Dagi Transparent Stylus for Capacitive Touch Screens”

One problem with Stylus for Capacitive Touch Screens

iPhone Hacks blog has the low down on the problems of styluses on capacitive touch screens in a post titled New Apple Patent Talks about Stylus for Capacitive Touch Screens. The relevant bit: According to the inventors, modern day capacitive touch sensors are not optimized to receive inputs from styluses. This is because, unlike aContinueContinue reading “One problem with Stylus for Capacitive Touch Screens”

Whamberry Handsized Keyboard/Trackpad

The Whamberry is great mini keyboard/input pad that connects to your computer simply with a USB plug-in dongle. It is wireless and can be used more than 30 feet (10m) away from your computer. You can control the cursor using the touch-pad that is built-in or type with the full keyboard. The size of theContinueContinue reading “Whamberry Handsized Keyboard/Trackpad”

Wireless door access TI watch

Wireless door access using the TI hackable watch What seems “novelty” can often be essential in a different context. This type device could be great for access. The TI Chronos development kit will allow many great projects that cleverly exploit the resources of the Chronos watch. This video shows a hack that wirelessly unlocks aContinueContinue reading “Wireless door access TI watch”

Mac Tutorial Video Subtitles

The goal of the Mac Video Tutorials Subtitle Project is to caption the Apple video tutorials that help users learn to use the Mac. To make this great resource available to non-English speaking users, and to those with hearing impairments or language processing problems. A great use of crowd sourcing. [Mac Video Tutorials Subtitle Project viaContinueContinue reading “Mac Tutorial Video Subtitles”

One Touch Automatic Jar Opener

The One Touch Automatic Jar Opener is made to make life easier in the kitchen for those without the strength or with any weakness or disability. Will open all kinds of jars at the touch of a button. It is fully automatic, just attach it to a jar and press the button. Operates on 2xAAContinueContinue reading “One Touch Automatic Jar Opener”

Etre Touchy – Gloves for your iPhone etc

Call me a heretic, but surely there’s got to be something inherently awry (not to say anything about accessibility) with a device that has to have specialised, modified clothing for humans to use it! Just sayin. [Etre Touchy – Gloves for your iPhone, iPod Touch, Nintendo DS, Blackberry, PDA and more…] —

Kind Reminder – for people with Alzheimer’s

The Kind Reminder is a recorder that can be worn around the neck as a necklace or just kept close by. When the patient has a moment of disorientation, they can press the button on the recorder and the voice of their caretaker will play. The website says the product is designed for people withContinueContinue reading “Kind Reminder – for people with Alzheimer’s”

Voice Controlled Alarm Clock

[Link: Moshi Alarm Clocks: Speak to your Moshi Alarm Clock and it speaks back] Moshi Alarm Clocks are sleekly designed clocks with voice recognition technology. The Moshi Alarm Clock is fully voice interactive and can be operated without ever even seeing the clock. Speak to your Moshi in plain English and it will speak backContinueContinue reading “Voice Controlled Alarm Clock”

A True Hands Free Bluetooth Headset

Meet Darrell Earlier in the year I was contacted by Darrell. Darrell may not realise it, but he is a Lifekludger. Darrell has a son. His son lives with a disability. His son’s disability prevented him from using a mobile phone. Unable to press a button to activate ‘hands free’ voice control dialing – yesContinueContinue reading “A True Hands Free Bluetooth Headset”

Story of ‘good will’ highlights Lifekludger concept – Santa Cruz Sentinel

This story from the Santa Cruz Sentinel shows the power of connection and what can be achieved when a Maker (Jon Bjornstad, a Santa Cruz freelance computer programmer) is backed by a Giver (Roy and Ana Cook of Saratoga) to help a Liver (Karadole, a paralyzed woman who lives in Croatia) – with the endContinueContinue reading “Story of ‘good will’ highlights Lifekludger concept – Santa Cruz Sentinel”

Automated blinds controlled via computer and remote

A neat project showing automated ‘venetian’ blinds controlled via computer and remote. I once had a mod done that used a stepper motor from a hard disk that turned the blinds via the wand on the blinds. That way it was able to leave the blind in tact and could be taken with me, asContinueContinue reading “Automated blinds controlled via computer and remote”