{"id":12417,"date":"2022-10-25T08:45:24","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T08:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conurets.com\/?p=12417"},"modified":"2022-10-25T08:50:54","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T08:50:54","slug":"is-iot-a-game-changer-for-people-living-with-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conurets.com\/is-iot-a-game-changer-for-people-living-with-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Is IoT a Game Changer for People Living with Disabilities?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Technological breakthroughs such as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine learning have entirely transformed the world. Technology has made our lives incredibly convenient. We can connect to a friend or family while sitting in a different part of the world or can control numerous smart devices with tablets or smartphones. Every group benefits from smart wearable IoT devices and other technologies in one way or another. IoT smart devices have proven to be a complete game changer for people with disabilities. IoT wearables have great potential to facilitate disabled people in the best possible manner. It can provide greater accessibility to people with physical disabilities and enable visually impaired people to see the world. It can help people with hearing and speaking problems to communicate with the normal people around without any hassle. IoT for a disabled audience is about breaking barriers and changing lives for good. The following article highlights the wearable IoT devices that disabled people can easily use to overcome the lacking they have faced in their lives until now. But first, we will discuss Assistive Technology as it umbrellas the concepts linked to the IoT smart devices for disabled people.<\/p>\n
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Assistive Technology (AT) for Accessibility<\/h2>\n
Assistive technology is a piece of hardware or software that aims to improve or maintain the functional capabilities of a disabled person. Example of Assistive Technology includes voice recognition, hearing aids, screen readers, smart wheelchair or keyboard, etc. Other wearable IoT devices with extraordinary functionalities are categorized as high-tech ATs. When compared to AT, IoT technology or wearables have the same potential to help disabled people, and the development of both AT and IoT has a promising future.<\/p>\n
IoT Devices for Disabled People<\/h2>\n
1. Mobility Bands<\/h3>\n
Mobility bands are IoT wearable device that aims to improve the mobility of blind people. The band is lightweight, equipped with smart sensors, and can easily be worn around the shoulders. The camera incorporated in the device is responsible for analyzing the surroundings of blind people and recognizing the obstacles in the path. The band provides feedback by sound or vibration to tell the blind person what is in front or help him to navigate. Currently, many companies are designing and launching this IoT wearable for indoor use only, but this device will later be available for outdoor use. The companies already working on this device have planned to introduce face recognition, object identification, and mapping features to improve the experience of blind people and provide them with greater accessibility.<\/p>\n
2. Artificial Sight<\/h3>\n
The combination of IoT and AI holds the potential to change the lives of visually impaired people for good. With the help of the camera’s lens on the phone and smart IoT software, visually challenged people can observe their surroundings and act accordingly. This kind of technology, paired with IoT, works as an artificial sight for blind people, helping them with easy and learned mobility. Another advanced application of similar technology is the Bionic Eye, which provides vision to visually challenged people. The device is surgically paired in the eye of a person who could see previously and become blind with age. The device then creates an artificial vision for the blind by converting the light into electric messages sent to the brain via the optic nerve. Providing artificial sight is challenging but not impossible, and IoT advancements in this regard can change the lives of nearly 2.2 billion<\/u><\/strong><\/a> people who have blindness.<\/p>\n