Jiawei Qian(Evelyn)'s Blog

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Overview:

Bridging Project is designed for mute or deaf people who can still generate brain signals of speaking, including the patients who have suffered a stroke. It helps to build a bridge between normal people and mute or deaf people through brain to brain communication.

Technology:

Smartphone, Bluetooth, B-earphone, Brain to brain communication

User engagement:

B-earphone will be paired with smartphones through Bluetooth. When the user wants to talk to others, he/she needs to think about what to say and B-earphone will transform his/her brainwaves into an electric signal and send it to the smartphone.  After the smartphone received the signal, it can decode it and speak out the words. The normal people can know what the mute people want to say.

This project can also be used among the deaf people. When normal people want to talk to the deaf people, they can speak out and the smartphone will transform the words into signals and send them to the B-earphone. B-earphone then interprets signals to make it understandable brainwaves for the users. This way the deaf people can understand what the normal people are saying.

Interface design:

Overview:

Mobile Lorm Glove is a glove for the deaf-blind people to communicate digitally designed by Design Research Lab in German (Wilson, 2012). “Lorm” is a hand-touch alphabet used by the deaf-blind, such as “A” is touching the tip of one’s thumb, “Z” is striking horizontal (from left to right) over the centre of the palm of his hand (Mey, n.d.). The sensors on the glove will translate his/her tactile motions into text. The text will then be sent to a smartphone by Bluetooth for the normal person to read. This system can also perform the communication in the opposite direction. If someone want to send the message to a deaf-blind person, he/she only needs to edit a normal text and then the text will be translated into “Lorm”. The deaf-blind people can feel the vibration and recognize the word (Santus, 2015).

Conclusion:

One of the users told the BBC that he can really send and receive the messages through this glove (Santus, 2015). The lab want to use this product for the deaf-blind people to “read” Ebooks. They also want to implement direct speech input and output (Design Research Lab, 2012). But the product can only be used among languages using “A” to “Z”. Other languages like Chinese, Japanese will not be suitable for this system.

Related Links:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/mobile-lorm-glove-allows-deaf-blind-people-to-communicate/

http://www.deafblind.com/lorm.html

http://mashable.com/2015/03/13/mobile-lorm-glove/

http://www.design-research-lab.org/projects/mobile-lorm-glove/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLfa9ni7X3I

Overview:

Tinnitracks is a web application which uses music files uploaded by the user to treat tinnitus (Tinnitracks, n.d.). It will launch the app very soon. The users need to select the music files he/she wishes to use for the therapy. Then the website will filter the users’ tinnitus frequency and then make the music suitable for therapy. After that, the users can download the processed music and start the therapy using an MP3 player. The users need to listen to the music for 1 to 2 hours per day for at least 6 months (Tinnitracks, n.d.).

Impact:

Tinnitracks was one of the nine winners at SXSW's Accelerator start-up competition (IANS, 2015).

Conclusion:

The device is expensive. It will cost AUD$750 for a one-year license. A nerve implant in the ear was proposed to be a way to treat tinnitus, but the results showed that it wasn’t the solution (Moskovitch, 2015). The tinnitrack is a happy and affordable treatment for tinnitus.

Related Links:

http://www.tinnitracks.com/en

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/this-new-app-claims-to-treat-hearing-disorders/535249-11.html

http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/441335/an-app-that-can-heal-tinnitus-is-making-waves-at-sxsw.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-u3XwVNzzY

Overview:

FingerReader is a prototype developed by researchers at MIT’s Media Lab (Starr, 2015). It can help the blind people to read with their fingers. FingerReader is equipped with a camera and a number of sensors that can translate the text on printed materials and digital reading device into audio (Hardesty, 2015). And it relies on a recognition software and a set of algorithms. The heavy algorithms are executed on a laptop (Hardesty, 2015). Now, the team is working on developing a more portable version which can run on Android platform (Starr, 2015).

Technology:

A camera, lots of sensors, a recognition software, a set of algorithms, a laptop

User Engagement:

When the blind wants to read, he/she only needs to put the finger at the start of a new line on the paper or digital device (Starr, 2015). Then FingerReader will recognise the baseline and the word. FingerReader will then speak out the word one by one along with the finger’s movement. The blind can hear the audio about the text in real-time (Starr, 2015). FingerReader can also detect the end of the line and help the users maintain a straight scanning motion.

Impact for users:

Except for the blind people, FingerReader can also help the children with dyslexia. The laboratory has received many emails and requests from organisations and these children’s parents (Hardesty, 2015).

Conclusion:

This project helps the blind people read all the text. But it still relies on a strong laptop to solve these algorithms. If it can be more portable like what the researchers hope, I think it will be a perfect device for the blind people and people with dyslexia.

Related Links:

http://www.cnet.com/au/news/this-finger-mounted-camera-helps-the-blind-to-read/

https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/finger-mounted-reading-device-blind-0310

https://vimeo.com/86912300

Overview:

Be my eyes is a new non-profit app which aims for the sighted to help the blind people (Willians, 2015). The app launched on 15th January 2015 which can be downloaded now in App Store (Hansen, 2015). iPhone has VoiceOver which means the user can control his/her phone through synthetic speech and touch-based interface (Be My Eyes, n.d.).

Technology:

Smartphone

User Engagement:

After downloading the app, you will be asked to register as a sighted person or a blind one. It means you will ask for help or you will help someone (Willians, 2015).

For the sighted, if you receive a call for assistance, you will get a notification. If you want to help, you only need to answer the call by tapping the request. The blind person’s camera will turn on and you can see through the camera.  You can tell the blind person what he/she is looking for. In this app, what the sighted is doing is voluntary.

For the blind people, when they are not sure if the milk in their fridge is expired or if they are in the right platform, they could call for help. After the phone is connected, the camera will be turned on in order to let the helper see what is in front of the user. If the helper is busy or the connection is disconnected, another one will pick up the phone.

Impact for users:

Until the 22nd March 2015, there are 169,560 sighted people and 16,913 blind people registered. The app have helped 61,574 people (Be My Eyes, n.d.). The app launched in 15th January 2015 (Hansen, 2015). In these two months, the number of use increased rapidly.

Strengths:

The system creates interaction between the sighted and the blind people. This is unique in this solution. The project helps the sighted to know more about the blind people. The most important is that the sighted also feel sense of happiness and accomplishment during the experience. Be My Eyes got everyone into the project.

The language is not a problem. In the setting of the project, the user can choose the language. Only the helpers who speak the chosen language can help. The app can be used all over the world.

 Limitations:

The app may be misused or abused. Fortunately, the developer already had the solution. If abusive behaviour happens the user can press the “abuse” button in the app to report someone (Be My Eyes, n.d.).

I saw someone in the app store said that he had registered for a month, but no one asked for help from him. He thought that the blind people may not need any help. This helper wants to help someone but he was disappointed after a month. The app may need to take everyone into the project and then they can all enjoy the experience of this app.

Conclusion:

At first, I am wondering how many people will be willing to help and how many blind people will use this app. But the data convinced me. The interaction between the blind and the sighted are good to both sides. One part of it gets help, and another part can know more about the blind people and achieve happiness and fulfilment of helping others. Compared to the Blind Art Project, these two projects both included the sighted and the blind. In the Blind Art Project, the sighted and the blind children communicate with each other about the art. In this project, the sighted helped the blind people. The interaction between normal and disabled people is necessary and a good mechanism.

Related Links:

http://thenextweb.com/apps/2015/01/16/eyes-lets-lend-eyes-help-blind/

http://www.applevis.com/blog/assistive-technology-ios-apps-news/be-my-eyes-helping-blind-see-launch-worldwide-january-15

http://www.bemyeyes.org/faq/

http://www.bemyeyes.org/

https://vimeo.com/113872517

Overview:

Wayfindr is an app designed by Ustwo design firm (Stinson, 2015) and initiated by RLSB Youth Forum. This app is supported by Bluetooth and pre-installed beacons. This system will guide the blind go through the underground using audio directions.

Technology:

Smartphones, iBeacon, bone conduction headphone

User Engagement:

The user will take the smartphone with them and wear the bone conduction headphone which will not affect the user’s ability to hear sounds around them (Hutchings, 2015). The iBeacon is already equipped in the subway station and the app can know where he/she is according to the three closest iBeacon (Collins, 2014). When the app know clearly where the user is, it will “tell” the user where to go, such as “Welcome to Pimlico Station, follow the ramp down to the ticket hall.”, ”turn left and down stairs. There are 9 steps.” and “You are approaching the end of the escalator”. Through these signals, the users can successfully go on the train. Wayfindr’s goal is to provide an easy way for the blind people to navigate through public transport (Hutchings, 2015).

Design Process:

At first, these design team members covered their eyes and treated themselves as blind people (Ume, 2014). They took a month to walk around the area. They experienced the life of the blind people. After the simulation, they went back to the workshop and discussed where to start their investigation (Ume, 2014). After that, they started to think about creative ideas and tried to prototype.

Impact for users:

The design firm got plenty of positive feedbacks from the RLSB Youth Forum (Ume, 2014). It can help the blind go outside like normal people.

Strengths:

It is light-handed. The users only need to wear headphones and have a smartphone. They can easily go outdoors and don’t need to take heavy devices.

It can help the blind take trains independently. With the iBeacons installed underground, the blind can go anywhere. After several times, the users will be familiar with the station.

It can increase the blind’s confidence. Because the device is light-handed, the users will look like a normal people walking around the station. If they always go to that station, they will be familiar about it. But Wayfindr gives them confidence to go anywhere, same as anyone else (Collins, 2014).

This system is similar to “Blindmaps”. They both use Beacons to help the blind people walk independently. However, “Wayfindr” is more portable, and the users don’t need to carry a special walking stick. In “Blindmaps”, the Beacons will use a loudspeaker to tell directions to the blind people which may affect other walking people, while “Wayfindr” uses headphone to tell the users.

Limitations:

Compared to “Blindmaps”, “Wayfindr” currently only has iBeacons installed in the train stations, whereas “Blindmaps” install the Beacons everywhere. Therefore the users of “Wayfindr” cannot use the system in other stations or places without iBeacons.

Conclusion:

The process of “Wayfindr” gives me the inspiration that if I want to design something for the specific users, I have to know about their requirements and their life. The life of the disabled people is different from normal people. I cannot understand their feeling if I haven’t had the similar experience. In this project, the team members tried their product in one station first. They thought they will need 50 iBeacons but through many times’ trial, they found they only needed 25 in one station. Iterations and trials will improve the product.

Related Links:

http://www.wired.com/2015/03/blind-will-soon-navigate-london-tube-beacons/

http://www.psfk.com/2015/03/wayfindr-system-smartphone-app-for-blind-london-underground.html

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-08/12/wayfindr-app

http://ustwo.com/blog/designing-wayfindr/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc3KmbfxuUQ&list=UUadEYJR8MgdLjzmFDuMuzeQ&t=19

Overview:

SASB(Smart Assist System for Blind People) is designed by Palestinian students from Polytechnic University in Hebron which aims to help the blind walk on the street (Reuters, 2015). The system is built in a vest, which uses vibration and voice commands to alarm the blind what is around them (Reuters, 2015). The system can direct the blind and alarm the obstacles. The voice command will “talk” and guide them away from the obstacles. A graduate student who helped design SASB system said that “the system is simple and convenient to use (Reuters, 2015)”.

Conclusion:

These students use limited resources to complete such a useful system. The blind people only need to wear the vest and then they can walk around the street. Compared to David Eagleman’s VEST, they help different people, SASB for the blind and VEST for the deaf. These wearable devices are portable and easy to take out.

Related Links:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/18/us-westbank-blind-vest-idUSKBN0ME11320150318

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld68ZLg_OHA

Overview:

VibroHear is a beautiful designed bracelet designed by a team of students from Qatar University (Kalan, 2013). This bracelet keeps people with hearing disabilities away from danger. The bracelet can vibrate and flash green or red LED lights (Kalan, 2013). The intensity and colour of the lights are decided by the volume and distance of sound. In this way, when the deaf people is close to potential danger(such as fire), the bracelet will flash and vibrate to alarm the danger. This bracelet can guarantee the deaf people’s safety when they are alone. These students designed the bracelet, prototyped it and sold this idea. VibroHear got the winner of Qatar’s INJAZ Young Enterprise of the Year Competition (Kalan, 2013).

Conclusion:

VibroHear is easy to use. Wearing the bracelet is all that need to be done. VibroHear is a simple design in my opinion, compared to the high-tech design. But it works well in warning the deaf away from potential danger. It gives them a sense of security.

Related Links:

Overview:

VEST(Variable Extra-Sensory Transducer) is a special clothing designed by David Eagleman which aims to help the deaf “hear” the voice (The Daily Telegraph, 2015). There is a microphone, an array of vibration motors and micro controller in the vest. When there are external sounds, these sound will go through the microphone and be real-time perceptual coded. After that, the coded sounds have sound-to-touch mapping and the user can “hear” the sounds by the vibrations (Eagleman, Sensory Substitution, 2015). This VEST costs much less than cochlear implants, which is an implant under the skin of the patient to aid the hearing (Brassfield, 2014).

Impact:

Because of this, the VEST can be distributed in the whole world to help the deaf “hear”. Also, the VEST can be worn all the time (Eagleman, VEST: A Sensory Substitution Neuroscience Project, 2014).

Conclusion:

The brain can interpret the electrical signals from the sensory and transfer the data to people’s brain. The user can easily wear this VEST everywhere. It helps the deaf to understand what other people are saying and it is a cheaper but effective and easy way.

Related Links:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/health/incredible-vest-covered-in-sensors-helps-deaf-hear-by-converting-words-into-vibrations/story-fni0dguz-1227269209008

http://www.eagleman.com/research/sensory-substitution

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/324375300/vest-a-sensory-substitution-neuroscience-project

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_eagleman_can_we_create_new_senses_for_humans#t-820992

http://www.notimpossiblenow.com/the-latest/vest-translates-touch-into-sound-for-hearing-impaired

Overview:

The Blind Art Project is developed by the LEGO group in 2014 which focuses on the development of children’s creativity through play and learning (LEGO, 2015). At first, Franz Marc, a German painter, described the painting “The Blue Horse” to blind children. Then these children were asked to recreate the horse with children’s imagination using LEGO bricks. After that, these blind children exchanged their opinions and imaginations with sighted children (Serviceplan Group, 2014). In this project, it is the first time for blind children to experience art. And sighted children knew more about art and blind people’s life.

Impact:

As a result, the project was shared with the public and many schools for blind children (ame Awards, 2015). The Blind Art Project got the gold award of “ame Award 2015” and bronze award of “The One Show Design 2014” (serviceplan, n.d.).

Conclusion:

The Blind Art Project adds the interaction between blind children and art, as well as between blind children and sighted children. Blind children has as much colourful imagination as sighted children. The project gives these children a chance to express their unique creation to the public.

Related Links:

http://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group

http://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2014/branding/23340/lego-blind-art-project/

http://www.serviceplan.com/en/case-details/lego-blind-art-project.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RclJ39niSUw

Overview:

The Walk Again Project is a non-profit project which aims to build brain-machine interface(BMI) to help the paralysed to control their arm, hands and even the whole body (Duke Immersive Virtual Reality, n.d.). This project is coordinated by Dr. Miguel Nicolelis who is a neuroscientist. In 2003, Dr. Nicolelis and his team members had an experiment about using monkey’s thoughts alone to control a robotic arm. The experiment was a success (Blakeslee, 2008). And then, they thought that it may also work on a human. In 2014, a paralysed boy named Juliano Pinto who had paraplegia performed the first kick on the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil (BBC News Staff, 2014).  It was impossible for the paralysed to do and feel what he did before.

Technology:

Exoskeleton

User Engagement:

Juliano wore a robotic suit as his exoskeleton. This exoskeleton is a robot vest full of sensors. A machine will help Juliano accomplish the movements he wishes to do. The machine was controlled by Juliano’s thoughts and these sensors on the vest would give the feedback from the exterior world to Juliano, which means that Juliano had the feeling of kicking (BBC News Staff, 2014). As Dr. Nicolelis said “The sensors are on the sole and will deliver these signals to the person's arm, who will imagine their legs walking, moving and stamping on the ground through the feedback sent to their arms (Delmazo, 2014)". The exoskeleton is almost 60.70 kilos, but the user will not feel the weight. The machine will keep the exoskeleton balanced (Delmazo, 2014).

Impact for users:

The project asked eight paraplegic patients to participate. The first experience is a unique feeling for them. These people never thought that they can have a chance again to walk. They were all amazed (Delmazo, 2014). As Dr. Nicolelis said in an interview, this exoskeleton is more than a machine, it changed something impossible that the paralysed had abandoned into something real (Delmazo, 2014).  And it shows the future of brain-machine interface.

Strengths:

The exoskeleton made the paralysed walk again. Before this exoskeleton, the paralysed never thought they can do this. The Walk Again project was a big success for these eight patients, but it can help more disabled people. It gives them the hope of walking again.

This technology provides the true feeling of walking. For the paralysed, they can sit in a wheelchair and go around. But they had no feeling of their legs and of walking. The Walk Again Project uses sensors on the vest to give the user a true feeling of walking and make it possible for users to interact with the exterior environment.

The exoskeleton is so heavy for the paralysed, even for the normal people, but the machine will bear all the weight to keep the balance of the exoskeleton. The user will feel nothing.

Limitations:

When the patients use this machine and the exoskeleton, they need someone by their side in case of something unexpected happen. It means the patients cannot go outside by themselves, and they still live dependently. The machine cannot do the action as smoothly as usual people. It is too slow to make the machine interpret the users’ minds compared to the human body. The patients need to practice with a static robot vest to relearn how to walk before using the exoskeleton. It needs time to get used to walking again. Now, The Walk Again Project haven’t come into the market and we do not know the price of the system. If it is expensive, then some paralysed people will not be able to afford it.

Related links:

http://virtualreality.duke.edu/project/walk-again-project/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/science/15robo.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=technology&adxnnlx=1200513706-DcvniVGJe79kATSsAmOkVQ&

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27812218

http://www.copa2014.gov.br/en/noticia/walk-again-project-results-much-higher-expected-says-neuroscientist-miguel-nicolelis

http://www.ted.com/talks/miguel_nicolelis_brain_to_brain_communication_has_arrived_how_we_did_it?language=en#t-929289

I searched a lot of cases about the disabilities. I found they all use high technology to help them. This is a good tool to use. And the portable devices will be better. If I want to design a device for the mute people, it cannot be too heavy or too big. The patients need something portable and easy to use. The wearable devices will be much easier, such as a vest or a bracelet. In the projects I researched about, almost every project is designed for the blind, the deaf and the paralysed, as analysed in detail in the “Background Research” section. There is nothing designed for the mute people based on my research. Although they can communicate with others by body language, sometimes they cannot express themselves clearly and effectively. I found a new technology in my research called “brain to brain communication” in which people can transform their brain wave into signals and then send the signal to the other side to be translated back to brain wave and interpreted by the receiving human. This technology can be used to aid the mute. With brain wave – electric signal translation, their minds can be sent to a machine and the machine can help him/her to speak and to listen. There are opportunities in designing for the mute. The opportunities are as follows:

High Technology, such as brain-to-brain communication

Portable and easy to use

No other effective ways to aid the mute people currently

Target users: who can’t speak but their ability of generating brain signals about speaking remain intact, such as the mute people or people who’ve suffered a stroke

Related Links:

Muteness has different causes. Some people are born with muteness (Colon, n.d.), some people was able to speak but they had accidents which damaged his/her hearing. Another cause named “Selective mutism” is not because of the body damage, it usually happens among children. It results from children’s anxiety. They can speak and communicate when they are relaxed and comfortable, or they will not speak (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.). Autism can also lead to muteness which means these patients have brain disorders (Hyman, 2012).

Some mute people can’t speak but their ability of generating brain signals about speaking remain intact. Current medical technology can not cure muteness effectively. There are emerging technologies like a kind of brain surgery which can enable the mute people to speak again. However, this surgery is not thoroughly tested and cannot be regarded as a mature technology, for example it requires electrodes to be implanted into the patient’s brain (The Future of Things, 2014). How can the mute people speak in a safe and effective manner?

Related Links:

http://www.ehow.com/list_6610821_causes-muteness.html

http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/12/can-autism-be-cured/#close

http://www.copa2014.gov.br/en/noticia/walk-again-project-results-much-higher-expected-says-neuroscientist-miguel-nicolelis

I have a friend who is paralysed because of polio. He sits on a wheel chair every day but he lives an independent life. He goes shopping, lives by himself, and even manages his own business. I am so moved when I knew about his life. His hands are not so flexible, therefore when he has rice or steak, he needs someone to aid him. I searched the internet and found “about 15% of the world’s population have some form of disability (World Health Organisation, 2014).”  These people need help and I hope I can design something useful for them. Like the “BlindMaps” in 2015 IdX Awards, the project that helps improve blind people’s life. At first, I chose my problem as “How can we help the blind, deaf, mute and paralysed people to communicate more effectively?” Later, I realized that I could not design something for everyone, I had to choose a specific part. I saw the video of Sloan Churman on YouTube titled “29 years old and hearing myself for the 1st time”. The girl first heard her voice, she was so excited that she couldn’t help crying. Modern technology enables us to accomplish wonderful feats like this. A deaf person can now hear her voice and the blind people can walk on the street – which leaves us the mute people. My problem is therefore: How can we help the mute people to express themselves more efficiently?

Related Links:

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs352/en/