Situational awareness

Looping the Olympic Peninsula

I have visited tropical rainforests, including the Amazon, but a temperate rainforest? I couldn’t picture it, much less a temperate rainforest within three hours of a major American city. Yet Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is home … READ MORE

Ian Mackay blows away power wheelchair 24-hour distance record

On June 22, accessibility advocate Ian Mackay blew his way to a new world record for distance wheeled in 24 hours by mouth-controlled power wheelchair. Photos courtesy of Celina Smith. New Mobility Ian Ruder, New Mobility June 23, … READ MORE

How to design personalized and meaningful technology for older adults

Marjolein den Haan-Wintermans defends her PhD on ideas to help seniors relax and make sense of their day. More and more research suggests framing ageing positively rather than focusing on problems. In her PhD research on the … READ MORE

Student designs smart mobility aid for people with dementia

According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, one million people in the UK will have dementia by 2025 and this will increase to two million by 2050. This increase is a real concern, especially as the care system is already under strain. … READ MORE

Why getting more people with disabilities developing technology is good for everyone

Accessible technology is better for everyone, and accessible technology benefits when the people who rely on it most help build it. Parapan Athlete Tiana Knight demonstrates Blindsquare, an iPhone app that helps blind people by … READ MORE

Bluetooth – a technology with bite

Those familiar with this young column know that “the machine” represents the large or small barriers and roadblocks those of us with mobility disabilities have to overcome. Todd Stabelfeldt By Todd Stabelfeldt, New Mobility July … READ MORE

Gore (the Gore-Tex company) thinks it holds the key to on-skin wearables

Gore is recruiting startups to Silicon Valley to make wearables or flexible electronics from the same material used in Gore-Tex. Gore Innovation Center By Tekla S. Perry, IEEE Spectrum 13 July 2018 I confess, I wasn’t familiar with … READ MORE

An engineer, his Segway, and the ADA: A tale of the open road

Technology and legislation allowed Walter Marsh to work and to explore despite a debilitating heart condition. The author’s father, Walter Marsh, explored the lava fields of Craters of the Moon, in Idaho. Photo: Allison Marsh By … READ MORE

Finding one’s way home

The Otic placode gives rise to the inner ear in vertebrates. A new study shows that even when it is transplanted to ectopic positions, the nerve cells that grow out of the transplanted ear can form functional connections in the brain. … READ MORE

Wearables track social distancing and sick employees in the workplace

As companies re-open, employees may don wearable tech to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Blackline Safety. By Emily Waltz, IEEE Spectrum 1 May 2020 As shuttered businesses make plans to resume on-site operations, many plan to outfit … READ MORE

Spaces should be better designed for people with disabilities, says Ross Atkin

Streets need to be designed to consider people with disabilities, says Emerging Design Medal winner Ross Atkin. Dezeen spoke to him about four of his best tech-led works for people whose environments are “letting them … READ MORE

Our spinal cord is smarter than previously thought

Research shows our spinal cords contribute to sophisticated hand function. Using specialized robotic technology, a three degree of freedom exoskeleton at Western’s Brain and Mind Institute, researchers demonstrated that the spinal … READ MORE

Spinal stimulation enables three people with paraplegia to walk again

Combined with other recent studies, new evidence points to electrical stimulation as a promising treatment for paralysis. David, 28, who suffered a spinal cord injury, can walk (with a walker) for more than 1 kilometer with electrical … READ MORE

How does helping people affect your brain?

Study shows neurobiological effects of providing support to others. Both younger and older participants in the Intergenerational Care Project have expressed excitement and joy at being able to interact with each other. Griffith … READ MORE

A “GPS” for inside your body

Investigating inside the human body often requires cutting open a patient or swallowing long tubes with built-in cameras. But what if physicians could get a better glimpse in a less expensive, invasive, and time-consuming manner? MIT … READ MORE

Mind-controlled robotic third arm gives new meaning to “multitasking”

Need a helping hand? Tell this robotic arm—with your mind—to grasp that thing you need while your own two hands are busy. Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory, ATR By Emily Waltz, IEEE Spectrum 25 July 2018 Imagine commanding a robotic … READ MORE

What do we do with all this data?

How joining smart sensors and smart data analysis can make data more useful. The City of Calgary created a bold community proposal to Infrastructure Canada Smart Cities Challenge. Christina Reynolds, University of Calgary August 1, … READ MORE

Researchers harness virtual reality, motion capture to study neurological disorders

Neuroscientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center, URMC have a powerful new state-of-the-art tool to study diseases like Autism, Alzheimer’s, and traumatic brain injury. The Mobile Brain/Body Imaging system, or MoBI, … READ MORE

Virtual reality for wound care patients a Canadian first

Virtual reality is being used to help patients undergoing wound care at Rockyview General Hospital to help ease pain and anxiety during treatment — a first of it’s kind in Canada. Patient Graydon Cuthbertson wears a Samsung Gear … READ MORE

Student designs controller to boost disabled sister’s dexterity

An all-inclusive, spherical games controller – breaking down the barriers between able-bodied and disabled users whilst promoting rehabilitation. The James Dyson Award Designer Billy Searle shows his sister Jess how to use … READ MORE

The most valuable person you haven’t hired yet

People with disabilities are the original hackers. You should hire them. Edelstall – Coworking Space Hannover. Kiwihug Unsplash By Christina Mallon, Fast Company July 9, 2018 When you think about disabled people, strength and … READ MORE

Headset allows persons to point to objects using their eyes

People with disabilities such as ALS, spinal injury or Lou Gehrig’s disease, often lose use of their legs, arms or hands. Even at advanced stages of the disease, one may still retain movement in their eyes. Experimental eye tracking … READ MORE

Dementia patients could remain at home longer thanks to ground breaking technology

Innovative new technology will enable people with dementia to receive round the clock observation and live independently in their own homes, a new study in the journal PL0S One reports. sabinevanerp, Pixabay CC0 By Natasha Meredith, … READ MORE

E-textiles control home appliances with the swipe of a finger

Electronic textiles could allow a person to control household appliances or computers from a distance simply by touching a wristband or other item of clothing — something that could be particularly helpful for those with limited … READ MORE

The virtual human is here — how much are you willing to share about yourself with the world?

Dr. Christian Jacob with PhD student Timothy Davison working with LINDSAY Virtual Human applications on a display wall in the Visualization Studio at the Digital Library, University of Calgary. University of Calgary photo By Christian … READ MORE

Paint job transforms walls into sensors, interactive surfaces

Smart walls react to human touch, sense activity in room. Researchers at CMU and Disney Research used simple tools and techniques to transform walls so that they will react to touch and sense activity in a room. CMU Byron … READ MORE

Humans and machines learn together to win a competition

People using brain-computer interface are more efficient when both human and machine are allowed to learn. EPFL researchers trained two tetraplegic users to compete in the international Cybathlon BCI race. Both learned incrementally … READ MORE

CTRL-Labs EMG wristbands may spell the end for keyboards and mice

Why type when you can just think about typing? A visualization of what the wristbands “see” as the user’s hands gesture. CTRL-Labs Andrew Tarantola, Engadget April 17, 2018 From the earliest days of punch cards, … READ MORE

Human hair as interactive material

UC Berkeley researcher and artist Eric Paulos and his students continue their explorations of “cosmetic computing” with a new prototype and paper about Human Hair as Interactive Material. If you’d like to coif your … READ MORE

This neural operating system lets paralyzed, voiceless patients communicate

Nuro’s new brain-computer interface uses neurological signals to let incapacitated patients talk to doctors and family. Nuro enables instant communication and computing for millions of people in post-surgeries and ICUs, nursing … READ MORE

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