Tap Systems has built a wearable keyboard controller that is accessible using VoiceOver and lets you tap messages on your devices without a physical keyboard. You just put the Tap device on your hand and air type your messages.
Now the company is announcing support for Apple’s VoiceOver accessibility feature for iOS. VoiceOver is a gesture-based screen reader that enables users to enjoy using iOS even if they can’t see the screen.
With the new VoiceOver Tap commands, blind and low-vision users will be able to control VoiceOver functions by tapping on any surface, without the need to touch their screens.
The Tap device is a comfortable wearable that sits at the base of your fingers and senses finger taps as input. Connecting to any Bluetooth enabled device, Tap users can currently compose text, play games, and point, click, and scroll by tapping on just about any available surface.
Video Transcript:
32 second lifestyle video showing a variety of people tapping in different situations with upbeat music playing throughout. Opening scene shows a man taking his Tap out of case and putting it on. Banner on bottom of frame reads, “Tap replaces your keyboard and mouse”.
Second scene opens with split screen: smiling girl tapping on right and text appearing on cell phone on left. Text says “He is so cute” “OMG” Then scene moves to the girl tapping on boyfriend’s forehead while they are both lying on grass in park. Banner on bottom reads, “It syncs with any device via Bluetooth.
Third scene opens with shot of woman tapping on her thigh under a table and cuts to man tapping on his forearm. Banner reads, “and Turns anything into a smart surface”.
Fourth scene opens with professional looking man wearing augmented reality (AR) goggles tapping on arm which brings up image of building outline which is floating in air. He then starts gliding his thumb on table which moves the building image around in space.
Fifth scene cuts to three friends laughing at coffee shop. Cuts to screen split in 3. First screen shows her hand wearing white Tap, tapping on her thigh under table. Middle screen shows her face/upper body smiling and laughing. Third screen shows text appearing on her phone. Text reads, “Heading home soon. Movie night?? Bottom banner reads, ”letters and controls map to finger tap combinations”.
Sixth scene is comprised of split screen showing man wearing virtual reality (VR) goggles in left half of screen gliding his hand to control a mouse that appears in the right split screen. Lower banner reads, “You can mouse with it too”.
Final scene opens with two young men in coffee shop sitting on bench facing each other, one with a white and the other with a black Tap with an iPad between them. Cuts to iPad showing that a game is being played by tapping. Banner reads, ”or use it to play games”.
Tap’s eyes-free input ability combined with Apple’s VoiceOver capabilities will give blind and low vision users the freedom to open and use apps, send and receive texts and emails, and perform many other functions through a series of learnable finger tap combinations.
“We’ve been totally humbled by how many visually impaired users have already become enthusiastic tappers and have offered their advice and feedback,” said Sabrina Kemeny, president of Tap Systems, in a statement. “We’re excited to expand Tap’s abilities beyond easy text input to actually controlling your iOS device. Now our blind mobile users can text, navigate and control their phone without ever taking it out of their pocket.”
Although VoiceOver is specifically designed for assistive applications, this new ability to control all of the functions of a mobile device without ever touching the screen gives users, developers, and tech enthusiasts a glimpse into the transformative potential of the Tap device, the company said.
Users will no longer be tied to their screens to control their digital worlds. This kind of functionality opens up the potential for a wide range of emerging technologies, including augmented reality and virtual reality devices, where touching the screen will soon be a thing of the past.
The Tap wearable is available for purchase for $179.
Source: Tap Systems
