The iBeacon hardware uses the Bluetooth Low Power protocol technology to emit radio signals to nearby smartphones and is used by the audible wayfinding app, AWARE, for the visually impaired.
NEWS
Blindfold Games Gets a Second Life!
The developer of over 80 Blindfold Games, was recently contacted by an Apple representative giving the game maker some great news. Marty Schultz received a call from Apple and according to Schultz, Apple said the review team had a chance to look at the Blindfold Games again, and understood why they are separate apps, and that the games can continue. Apple mentioned the games address a need that’s not normally considered by most app designers, and acknowledged how the games are focused on the needs of the visually impaired community.
Biotech’s CEO Suggest Gene Therapy for Blindness Could Cost $1 million
Early next year, Spark Therapeutics Inc.’s gene therapy Luxturna could become the first such treatment for an inherited condition to win approval in the U.S., bringing with it new hope for patients with a rare form of childhood blindness.
At the same time, the one-time treatment will likely command a premium price, putting the promise of gene therapy in stark relief to questions of affordability and access.
Spark has yet to determine a price for its treatment. Yet recent comments from the biotech’s CEO suggest Luxturna’s cost could approach the $1 million mark, which would make the gene therapy one of the most expensive medicines on the market.
Second Sight Gets Expedited Access Pathway for ‘Bionic Eye to Restore Sight to Blind
The FDA has granted Second Sight Medical an Expedited Access Pathway designation for its new visual prosthesis system designed to restore sight to patients who are completely blind.
It Looks Like Game Over for Blindfold Games?
The developer of BlindFold Games appears to be calling it quits after talking to an Apple representative. According to the developer Marty Schultz, Apple’s decision is that unless he merges the 80 Blindfold Games into a handful of apps, they will no longer allow new games or updates to be released.
Augmented Reality Glasses Could Soon Help Legally Blind To See Again
This project is the work of computer vision scientist Philip Torr and neuroscientist Stephen Hicks, both of whom work at the United Kingdom’s University of Oxford. For the past several years, they’ve been developing smart AR glasses, which pick up on visual weaknesses in a person’s eyesight and enhance these details — allowing individuals to navigate independently, avoid collisions, or see better in dark or low-light conditions. These glasses use a combination of smart computer vision algorithms and cameras to register scenes in front of an individual, and then exaggerate certain details of it — such as increasing image contrast, highlight specific features, or creating “cartoonish representations of reality” — depending on the requirements of the user. For example, a person with blurry vision due to glaucoma can have the salience of certain important parts of an image enhanced.
CTA Foundation Announces Winners of CES 2018 Accessibility Contest
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Foundation announced the winners of the annual Eureka Park Accessibility Contest at CES® 2018: Blind Touch, Lili Smart, SignAll, SofiHub and Unaliwear. The CTA Foundation, a national foundation with the mission to link seniors and people with disabilities with technologies to enhance their lives, is providing each winner with a booth in Eureka Park – the home of startups during CES – and a $2,500 cash prize. CES 2018, the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, will run January 9-12, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Google Assistant Can Now Identify What Song is Playing Near By
Google Assistant can now identify what songs are playing around you, in an update that just came out to all devices that have Google Assistant.
Blind Runner’ Completes NYC Marathon Despite Complications with Wearable Technology
Simon Wheatcroft, a blind runner, used wearable technology that enabled him to run about 16 miles of Sunday’s New York City Marathon with minimal human assistance. As Simon Wheatcroft walked onto the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to start the New York City Marathon, he could sense other runners moving around him but could see them only as one smudged shape.
HumanWare Is Now Shipping the New VictorReader Trek To Customers
HumanWare announced the launch of the VictorReader Trek earlier this year and now they have started to ship out 200 units to fill their pre-orders with another 600 units coming later this month. Priced at 599 USD (795 CDN) and expected to go up 100 USD after pre-orders are filled. Combining the cutting-edge GPS technology of the Trekker Breeze with the innovative media reading & playback capabilities of the VictorReader Stream, this multiuse handheld device is designed to make mobility easy and enjoyable for people who are blind or visually impaired.
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