Aaron Preece
As in past years, AccessWorld is here to bring you the latest from the Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference (ATIA). The conference was held from January 29-February 1 at the Caribe Royale Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. There were fewer announcements than in years past, but some companies did announce updates or new products at this conference. We'll review these announcements and take a look at some of the blindness companies and technologies showcased at the conference that may be less familiar to AccessWorld readers.
This year, AccessWorld sponsored the Blind Bargains ATIA conference podcasts. Where available, these will be linked when discussing the findings from the exhibit floor.
HumanWare Buddy: A Free Educational Resource for Teachers.
Instead of the hardware releases announced at previous ATIA conferences, HumanWare unveiled a new app that aims to assist teachers in instructing their students in the use of HumanWare products. Based on feedback from teachers, HumanWare has discovered that many Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI) have so many demands on their time that it's difficult to learn about new products sufficiently in order to demonstrate them to students or assist students with specific features.
The app will take specific device tasks and break them down into steps to make them easy to learn quickly. When the user selects the "How To" item in the app, they will be presented with a list of product categories such as Braille Displays or Video Magnifiers. When viewing products, in addition to the product name, a picture of the device is also displayed in case the user does not know the exact model used by their student.
It is possible to scroll through a list of tasks, but a user also can search for a specific task for the given device. HumanWare has also made it possible for a user to mark specific tasks as favorites. This is intended to make it easy for a user to learn a task beforehand, but then also have the guide easily available for reference when working with a student or client. It's also possible to mark a task as complete once the task has been taught to the student or client.
The app will be available for both iOS and Android free of charge. At the time of this writing, the app was in the Apple App Store review process, so may be available by the time of the publication of this article at the earliest. When asked how educators will be made aware of this new offering, HumanWare noted that methods for bringing the widest awareness to the app as possible were still being formulated.
HIMS: The Braille Sense Polaris Sees a Major Update
In addition to a recent update for the HIMS QBraille, a 40-cell braille display that includes QWERTY-like function keys, HIMS announced a significant update to their BrailleSense Polaris. The QBraille update, announced prior to the conference, includes the addition of mass storage mode, the ability to activate sticky keys as you can on a Windows computer, and the ability to change the function keys from a Windows layout to an Apple layout.
The Polaris update contains several new additions that should significantly improve productivity for users. The new update brings greater integration between Google Drive and the operating system. This means that it is possible to save a file directly to your Drive and also copy files between Drive and the system itself. Through its math editor, the Polaris supports graphing in braille. In addition, as a user constructs a graph while connected to a display or sharing their screen, sighted individuals can see the graph being constructed in real time and in color. It is also now possible to link an exchange email account on the Polaris. In simple terms, exchange mail is any mail account that uses Microsoft's email servers including offices and many universities. This capability could make the Polaris much more viable for many in university or the workforce.
For more information on HIMS offerings at ATIA, listen to this Blind Bargains podcast..
Westminster Technologies: An Introduction and the WeWALK Smart Cane
Westminster Technologies is a company AccessWorld readers may be unaware of. The company is a reseller for many different assistive technologies, including those for people with low vision or blindness. In addition to selling products, the company also provides training and consulting. At ATIA, the company displayed a range of assistive technologies. Two of interest to those with blindness or low vision were the Sunu Band and the WeWALK Smart Cane. The Sunu band is a smart watch for people with visual impairments that contains a navigation component. The watch includes a sensor that aims to detect obstacles in front of you up to 15 feet away. The watch also uses haptics to provide other traditional watch functions and a companion app can be used to adjust settings and update the Sunu Band firmware. The product retails for $299.
The WeWALK is a new player in the navigational aid arena. The device covers the grip of a standard white cane and provides several features for navigation. The cane has an ultrasonic sensor that aims to detect obstacles at chest height and higher in front of you. When you hold the cane, the sensor faces in front of you at an angle and will vibrate when it detects an obstacle. The device also can be paired with a smartphone to allow access to navigation features on a built-in screen on the WeWALK device. In addition, the device is integrated with Google Maps and Google Assistant. I had a brief chance to test the basic features of the cane and found it easier than expected to hold and use with the attachment covering the grip. The weight and balance were different from a traditional cane because of the attachment, but it seemed that it would be fairly simple to become accustomed to the changes with a bit of practice. The WeWALK currently retails for $499.
BlindShell Classic Available in the United States
The BlindShell Classic is a simpler candy bar-style phone that is completely accessible to those with visual impairments. The phone has highly tactile buttons and has speech output and magnification features for people with vision loss. In addition to phone basics such as contacts, a call log, and text messages; the phone also has some advanced features such as a book reader, color identifier, and Internet radio. Even with these advanced features, the phone has been designed so that it is easy to learn and use. The BlindShell Classic retails for $399 and can either be purchased from the BlindShell or from A T Guys for $349. You can also find a full review of this device in this issue of AccessWorld.
Dolphin: Dolphin Guide Connect and SuperNova Updates
You may remember Dolphin Guide, a simplified interface for interacting with a computer for people with visual impairments from Dolphin. Dolphin has now released Guide Connect, a revamped and updated version of the software. Instead of using a keyboard, you now can use the Guide Connect Remote for all commands, making it easier to learn and use for someone new to computer technology. The software provides access to common computer tasks including email, word processing, and a Web browser. The remote also supports voice commands and dictation, so that you can use your voice in many areas where you would normally need a keyboard. The software also includes a book reader with native access to various accessible libraries including the National Library Service's BARD, Bookshare, and NFB Newsline.
Even though the interface is simplified, it's still possible to perform more advanced tasks easily. For example, it's possible to set a favorite quickly using the "Action" button on the Guide Remote. The program also interfaces with your Google account, allowing access to contacts and the Google Calendar. The software itself retails for $895 in the United States. There are packages available on the Dolphin website that provide Guide Connect installed on various devices from a TV compatible microcomputer, to a desktop computer with various monitor sizes. It seems that these packages may only be available in the UK at present, but you can contact Dolphin for further details. If you are only interested in reading books from various accessible libraries, the Guide Reader is a similar device intended for streaming books from various accessible libraries on a computer or on a TV.
If you are unfamiliar with the software, SuperNova is Dolphin's suite of a screen reader and magnifier. Version 19 has recently been released, bringing several new features. Historically, SuperNova had difficulties smoothing fonts when using Google Chrome due to some security features of the browser. Now, the company has found a workaround called Bold Text. This feature allows you to make text bold for greater visibility and will also recognize when text is already in bold. The ability to sharpen text and add increased contrast should also aid in legibility. If a user uses SuperNova to scan hardcopy print, they can now append pages to scanned documents to make reading quicker and create a multi-page document. Dolphin provides a full feature list online.
Learn more about Dolphin in this Blind Bargains podcast.
Angel Eyes: Two Head-Mounted Devices for Navigation and Recognition.
The company Next VPU has created two head-mounted devices called the AngelEye Reader and AngelEye Smart Glasses.
The AngelEye reader allows a user to take an image of text and have it read aloud using OCR technology. The user hears the text through a speaker on the arm of the glasses. The device can also guide the user to be sure the document is centered to assist in a more accurate capture.
The smart glasses provide navigation assistance for people with vision loss. In addition to detecting upcoming obstacles, the glasses also attempt to recognize what sort of obstacle has been detected, such as a door or stairs. Again, speakers on the arms of the glasses relay the information to the user. A power cable extends from the back of one of the arms of the glasses and connects to a power supply. The developer is still seeking a United States distributor. Based on the prices in Europe, the reader is estimated to cost around $2,500; no price was provided for the smart glasses.
Patriot: Updates to Patriot Pro and Patriot Viewpoint
Many of the Patriot line of magnifiers provide a desktop video magnifier that uses an iPad or Android tablet as the hardware. Recently, the Patriot Pro, the iPad powered magnifier, has seen several updates and bug fixes. Now, the custom patriot software is not in conflict with Apple VoiceOver. For example, in the past if you used OCR to capture text, both the Patriot software and VoiceOver would attempt to read the document. With the latest update this is no longer the case. It's now also possible to pair the patriot Pro with a wireless external camera for distance viewing. Being wireless, the camera can also be moved and placed away from the user and the Patriot Pro. As an example, a student could place the camera on the teacher's desk to better see the whiteboard, while viewing what is being seen by the camera at their desk with the Pro.
The Patriot Viewpoint is a head-mounted video magnifier that uses existing virtual reality technology with custom software. In addition to traditional video magnifier features such as magnification and color filtering, the Viewpoint also can capture images and recognize them with built in OCR software. New to the Viewpoint is an "Edge Mode," which aims to increase contrast for low vision users. It was described to me by someone with low vision as if everything being viewed was a sketch, outlines of people or objects without color. For more information on the range of patriot products, see the Magnifying America website.
If you would like to learn more about Patriot offerings, see this podcast.
IrisVision: Voice Commands and Included Alexa
We have previously mentioned the IrisVision head-mounted magnifier, which is another head-mounted video magnifier using mainstream virtual reality technology. The device is constantly being updated with fixes and new features. Recently, a feature was added that aims to make it easier for those with retinitis pigmentosa to see images. The feature simulates the act of moving what is being viewed away from the user in order to facilitate the viewer viewing the image with the best parts of their vision. More recently, the device has been equipped with voice commands for its various features. With the voice commands also comes access to Amazon's Alexa service. Recently, IrisVision announced a partnership with Samsung, the manufacturer of the hardware that the IrisVision uses. For more information on this development, see this month’s AccessWorld News.
American Printing House for the Blind and HumanWare Partner for New Braille Displays
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) has partnered with HumanWare to bring two new braille displaysto the market. The Chameleon 20 is a 20-cell braille display that is intended for classroom use. In addition to several color choices, students can complete assignments in braille using the display, and send their work to an instructor in print. It will also be possible to edit traditional text formats, such as DOCX and TXT, on the device itself. The display will also be able to access downloadable content from sources such as Bookshare. The other features announced include those common to modern displays including multiple host devices and various applications built into the display including a file manager and calculator.
The Mantis Q40 is a 40-cell braille display but instead of a traditional braille keyboard, the device includes a traditional QWERTY style keyboard. The keyboard on the device looks similar to that of a laptop and from my brief experience with the device, the keyboard was very usable and comfortable. The device will have similar features to the Chameleon 20, with the added ability to switch from QWERTY input to braille input. Even with the QWERTY keyboard, the device is still relatively compact and light; it reminded me of a very small QWERTY Pac-Mate from yesteryear.
The Bottom Line
Compared to 5 years ago, far fewer blindness technologies were exhibited at ATIA 2020. Increasingly, the exhibit hall plays host to technologies for other disabilities, including physical disabilities and autism. That being said, all of the major players still maintain booths at ATIA and are still using it as a platform to announce product updates. Mainstream technology companies including Sprint, Microsoft, and Google also attend the conference and demonstrate their wide range of accessibility features.
This year, the ATIA announced that the conference venue will be moving from the Caribe Royale to the nearby Orlando World Center Marriott. If you would like to attend an assistive technology conference and funding is a concern, remember that access to the exhibit hall is free. In addition, you may be able to volunteer in some capacity for a reduced rate on conference registration. For example, sighted individuals can volunteer as a sighted guide for the conference for a reduced rate.
Conference season is in full swing, so stay tuned to AccessWorld for the latest updates.
This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.
Related articles:
- New Tech for 2019: A Wrap-up of the Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference by J.J. Meddaugh
- Access Technology on the Move: CSUN 2019 Presents an Array of New Options for People Who Are Blind by J.J. Meddaugh, Shelly Brisbin
More by this author:
