Category Archives: Okay, sometimes it *is* about the technology

Cool-looking all-terrain wheelchair for kids

What kid wants a medical-looking wheelchair?  Well, now UK kids have another option: an attractively designed junior jalopy that goes anywhere, and even has a trailer hitch! All-terrain Whizzybug enables mobility for handicapped UK kids – Engadget

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Cell phone aids night vision and colorblindness

A new cell phone includes a camera (of course) with “special” software that will augment the image in brightness, contrast, and color saturation.  One setting will provide help to people who are colorblind.  This builds on the trend of using … Continue reading

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More robotic personal assistance services

Using a load-balancing sensor network instead of brute strength, a new Japanese robot can lift humans (well, human dolls anyway) carefully and safely.  Such a robot may reduce injuries to people with disabilities and their caregivers.  Of course, what about … Continue reading

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Rapid prototyping tools proliferate

3D printers take designs directly from 3D drawing programs and deliver accurate parts, usually made of plastic, by depositing one thin layer after another.  These systems are starting to succeed in reliability, features, and most of all, price: this model … Continue reading

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Robotic jacket is a powered exoskeleton

Panasonic is showing off a compressed air exoskeleton whose “muscles” may allow disabled users to move and manipulate better. At a mere 4 pouns, it’s sleek and probably less expensive than the giant hydraulic gizmos we’ve seen. Robotic jacket | … Continue reading

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Robot school attendance

We’re familiar with remote instruction, technology that lets a distant student see and hear what’s going on in the classroom.  Now we’ve got a robot that takes it one step further.  The distant student can control the behavior of a … Continue reading

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