Topic: assistive technology

  • DIY Assistive Tech: A Growing Movement

    DIY Assistive Tech: A Growing Movement

    A DIY movement is empowering individuals to create affordable, customized assistive technology, shifting focus from expensive commercial products to user agency and personalized solutions. Therese Willkomm exemplifies this approach, creating low-cost, functional aids using donated materials and i...

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  • CES 2026: Smart Glasses That Outperform Normal Vision

    CES 2026: Smart Glasses That Outperform Normal Vision

    The eSight Go smart glasses are an assistive device for people with central vision loss, using magnification and peripheral vision to provide a dramatic functional improvement in visual acuity for daily tasks. The headset features a comfortable design with a neck-mounted battery, user-adjustable ...

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  • AI-Powered Smart Cane Redefines Independence for Visually Impaired

    AI-Powered Smart Cane Redefines Independence for Visually Impaired

    The WeWALK Smart Cane 2 equips the visually impaired with advanced tools for navigating the world. It integrates a conversational AI for asking complex questions, provides turn-by-turn GPS directions through sound and touch, and features a unique sensor to detect overhead obstacles. This device blends a familiar design with sophisticated, practical technology.

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  • Beyond Neuralink: The Future of Brain Tech

    Beyond Neuralink: The Future of Brain Tech

    Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) enable individuals with mobility challenges, like ALS patient Brad Smith, to control devices such as laptops and webcams through thought, replacing less effective systems like eye-tracking. Users often innovate by combining BCIs with consumer technology, such as w...

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  • Mind-Reading AI Translates Thoughts Into Text

    Mind-Reading AI Translates Thoughts Into Text

    Scientists have developed a mind captioning technique that translates thoughts into text by analyzing vision-related brain activity, bypassing traditional language centers and aiding communication for those with disorders. The system uses fMRI and deep learning to generate coherent sentences from...

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  • 10 Teams Advance in Milken-Motsepe AI Manufacturing Prize

    10 Teams Advance in Milken-Motsepe AI Manufacturing Prize

    Ten companies have each received $50,000 in funding as semifinalists in the Milken-Motsepe Prize, which aims to boost AI adoption in Africa's manufacturing sector to potentially add $3 trillion to the economy. The semifinalists will compete for a share of a $2 million prize pool, with a $1 millio...

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  • Dyson Award Winners: AI Water Sensor and Smart Parkinson's Keyboard

    Dyson Award Winners: AI Water Sensor and Smart Parkinson's Keyboard

    The 2025 James Dyson Award recognized two global winners: WaterSense, an AI-powered autonomous water quality monitoring system, and OnCue, a smart keyboard designed to assist individuals with Parkinson's disease by reducing tremors and typing errors. WaterSense, created by Filip Budny, uses recyc...

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