The ReWalk, the first FDA-approved exoskeleton for home use, was a tremendous leap forward in mobility solutions for paraplegics. However, the ReWalk requires that the user retains full function of his or her arms and, as such, can only be used by about ten percent of wheelchair users. Dr. Amit Goffer invented the ReWalk and is a wheelchair user himself, but even he can’t use the exoskeleton. That is part of the reason he’s now working with RehaMed Technologies to develop a mobility solution that is closer to a Segway than to a wheelchair.

The new invention is called the UPnRIDE, and it gives users the option to travel sitting or standing. While standing wheelchairs are nothing new, what sets the UPnRIDE apart is its incredible stability. Whether in a sitting or standing position, the user’s center of gravity remains the same. This reduces the chances that the user will fall – but if an accident should take place and it looks like the user is about to fall, safety arms pop out to catch him/her, kind of like the airbag safety system used in cars.

Dr. Goffer is enthusiastic about the prospects of the UPnRIDE in part because of its ability to easily navigate urban environments. While in the standing position the UPnRIDE resembles a Segway, which Dr. Goffer considers an important point for younger wheelchair users who want to avoid the stigma and limitations of being confined to a wheelchair.

Oren Tamari, the CEO of RehaMed Technologies, says that the UPnRIDE is still a couple of years away from being ready for market, but it’s only a few months away from the prototype stage. Thanks to the researchers’ hard work, the UPnRIDE could soon do for quadriplegics and MS patients what the ReWalk is doing for paraplegics already.

The post Finally, a Standing Wheelchair Meant for Quadraplegics first appeared on Gajitz.

Researchers at the MIT Media Lab have come up with a prototype device that will read lines of text as the user runs a finger over the page. The FingerReader is a small device that fits over the knuckle of the index finger. It contains a camera which “reads” the text on the page and then says it aloud for the reader.

For vision-impaired readers, this device could be an amazing step forward in how they read. Books that aren’t available in audio format would suddenly become accessible. The FingerReader doesn’t just read the words on the page; it indicates (via haptic cues) when the user has reached the end of a line, then when they reach the beginning of the next line. The device also indicates when the reader’s finger is drifting from the line of text and provides cues to move the finger higher or lower on the page.

It’s obvious from the video above that the device is, in fact, a “research prototype.” It doesn’t work perfectly, and the voice conversion can definitely use some work. But the concept is so great that it’s bound to undergo further development until the kinks are ironed out.

The post FingerReader Uses Camera to Read to the Visually Impaired first appeared on Gajitz.

Assistive devices for the blind have taken great strides forward as technology has gotten smarter and smaller in recent decades. The finger-mounted EyeRing lets users “see” the world around them with a novel voice-activated interface. The 3D printed outer shell houses a tiny camera, a processor, a Bluetooth module and a Li-ion battery.

The EyeRing is connected via BlueTooth to the user’s smartphone. A proprietary Android app is installed on the phone to process the information collected by the camera. By selecting a mode via a voice command, the user can tell the app whether to identify colors, currency, text, or price tag information. Then, it’s as simple as pointing the camera at the object in question and clicking the small button on the side of the device.

The camera takes a picture and sends it to the smartphone, where the app processes it and sends the requested information back to the user via earpiece. Future versions of the EyeRing will include more sensors, more capabilities and an Apple version of the software. While the device is still under development, the team behind it hopes to have a consumer version ready soon for under $100.

The post Finger-Mounted Camera Provides Pseudo-Sight to the Blind first appeared on Gajitz.