Gena Harper
Editor's Note: This article is brought to you by AFB board member Gena Harper. If you would like to learn more about Gena, you can check out her bio here. She has also been featured on AFB's Inform and Connect podcast.
Imagine attending the world’s largest Consumer Electronics Show (CES) for the very first time. CES is held in Las Vegas at the sprawling conference center plus multiple hotels. This year, due to COVID, there were approximately 40,000 attendees plus a few thousand companies showing off their products, a quarter of previous attendance. Imagine having to figure out how to sign-up, use the app, plan which companies you’d like to see as well as figuring out how to navigate to all of these places while being blind. Well, this year, I took on the daunting and exhilarating challenges of figuring all of this out.
One of the really unique things this show offers is that you can request a guide for the entire time of the conference. My experienced guide was awesome. I had a set of companies I planned to visit, but it was fun discovering companies I didn’t know existed with unique and interesting products as we walked the exhibit isles. Below is a dozen of the companies I found interesting, of the scores I visited, as a blind woman at CES for the first time.
Audio
ResonX is a modular device that can be attached to the back of a chair to turn the chair into the diaphragm of a speaker so that you can feel and hear every sound for maximum immersion.
This Bluetooth speaker is a compatible portable speaker which can be attached to any surface and works with all devices.
This company produces a range of wireless Bluetooth earphones that use the MyJuno translation app to provide live translation using the headsets.
Smart Home
This appliance has rubber rollers to address dog hair without the complications you may face when using a more traditional vacuum's brushes. The device also has a mopping feature, and an auto empty doc where it goes to empty itself. Overall, it is self-washing, self-refilling and self-cleaning.
This is an Aura Smart Table Lamp. You can Personalize simple color patterns and the lamp already comes pre-configured with 20 different scene options. The lamp is hands free and equipped with voice control through Alexa or google assistant. You can use a timer schedule to turn the lamp on/off and the lamp also syncs to music. $64.99 but may be lower due to sales.
The company has produced a 24” oven that works with Alexa, you can verbally tell the oven to cook, what temperature to bake and for how long. They have also developed refrigerator that keeps track of your food and offers up suggestions on what you can make with the ingredients you have in the fridge as well as a dishwasher that can figure out what is in the dishwasher and what setting it needs to use to clean those specific dishes. You can also make favorite settings such as lasagna night and it knows what types of dishes you will be putting in it for that specific dish.
E-mail: Robbie Cabral rcabral@benjilock.com
This company produces fingerprint locks that can also be opened using a keypad or a traditional key. Different locks are available, for example, a door lock and a padlock. Array by Hampton is the app that operates the locks.
Health
Note that the website for this product is not in English. This is a bracelet for security such as falling. It will send a message to all of your contacts. It can also send a follow-up text saying you are okay. I personally found it to be a very attractive looking bracelet. The device includes GPS tracking, alarm and audio.
This device allows you to track 24/7 health data. The device includes a sleep and steps tracker, biometric heart rate sensor, and an oxygenation censor. The ring comes in silver, black, gold, and rose gold. The product is currently scheduled to come to market in March of 2022. The ring will be priced approximately $259, pre-orders are available.
Automatically track your heart rate, distance traveled, calories burned, time spent active, all accessed through the app. Bands in multiple colors are available. The device has a ten-hour battery life. The device should retail between $50-$70.
This device is an air purifier, which has 7 filters and offers a subscription plan and can be used with an app. However, the app is not required for the purifier to function.
This is a respiratory device/protective mask to filter everything from microparticles to bacteria. Charge the mask with a USB connection which will allow the mask to function for 8 hours. The mask is being developed by a French company. The product will retail for roughly $350 and will be released in March 2022.
App connected Products
This is a game console with 4 hand-held controllers. The games for the console can be played without a screen as the console is meant to bridge the gap between traditional active play outside with the interactivity of traditional video games. The controllers make sounds, have lights and vibrate. The devices can be purchased through Picoo. The company is working with a Dutch organization that works with visually impaired children. There is also an app to choose different games. Launched on January 5th, the product is priced at roughly $250.
This is a Swiss army knife of a flashlight. A dog collar accessory and junior model are in development. The light is flexible and magnetic. Nineteen LED lights are controlled in the app, each can be set independently to a range of 256 colors and brightness. Seven preset modes are included, SOS mode, 100%, 50%, 25% brightness, night rider, party, and compass modes. The flashlight is also waterproof. The product will become available the last week of March.
This is a self-heating lunchbox. Tactile dots allow you to set 5 minutes of heating and other features. the box should allow you to have a hot meal anywhere, anytime. The box is rechargeable, uses an app, and weighs 3 pounds. The lunchbox will cost $230 in April, though the presale price is $189.
The company claims that this is the first biometric health collar for dogs and will be ready this summer. It has an app and retails for $99 with an additional $13/month fee.
The company claims that this device will allow you to make clear and reliable phone calls to your pet on AT&T‘s network. You can also stream music to your dog. no SIM cards are required and there are no activation fees. GPS tracking and training techniques such as clicking, beeping and pain-free vibrating are also included. Data bundles are $10/month for 1 GB data, 500 minutes of calling, 2000 minutes of music, or $15 for unlimited. The collar retails for $199.
The Bottom Line
In addition to myself, I know there are a number of other disabled people who continually try to educate and inform individuals and companies about the importance of accessibility and accessible design in their products. I was in awe when I met a small-business owner named Robbie Cabral (see BenjiLocks above). He had an idea to start a lock company with accessible locks. When I was visiting his booth, his commitment to accessibility was totally clear. I intended to discuss accessibility with each company I visited. After I had inquired with about 15 companies it became very clear to me that I wouldn’t have enough time to visit very many companies if I kept this up. I was pretty dismayed with the responses I received. Most companies didn’t have a clue about what I meant when I inquired about accessibility. Some companies said they were very committed to accessibility but didn’t really have anything which would show that their company was truly embracing accessibility. When I had access to the president of the company or a senior manager type, I would take the time to discuss accessibility as well as show them how VoiceOver works and what an accessible app looks like and how they work. I did gather names and email addresses so I could follow-up with some of the companies. I think we all need to be vigilant and continue to try to increase awareness in companies as it relates to accessibility. Even though progress has been made in this area, we still have a long way to go!!
This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.
