Our favorite accessibility innovations from CES 2024

Much of what we see at CES tends to focus on technological innovation for the sake of innovation, or an obvious attempt to capitalize on whatever trend is grabbing attention online that year. However, over the past few shows, there has been an encouraging increase in interest in assistive products designed to help improve the lives of people with disabilities and other people with diverse needs. I’m excited to see more accessibility categories developing at CES 2024, with many products appearing to be more thoughtfully designed in addition to being smart. It’s easy to get distracted by the shiny, eye-catching, fascinating, and weird tech at CES, but I wanted to take the time to give some of my favorite ancillary products the attention they deserve here in Las Vegas.

Gyro Gloves

Before I even packed my bags, many colleagues were sending me links to the GyroGlove website because it had won multiple CES Innovation Awards. The device is a hand stabilization glove that uses gyroscopic force to help people with shaky hands minimize tremors. Because the demo unit in the showroom was too big for me and, more importantly, I don’t have shaky hands, I couldn’t accurately evaluate the glove’s effectiveness.

But I interviewed a guy at the booth who had Parkinson’s disease and he had been wearing one for a few days. She says the gyroscope gloves help her perform tasks like buttoning her shirt more easily, and she plans to buy one for herself. At $5,899, the device is quite expensive, which is the sad state of assistive products today. But the makers of GyroGlove say they are in talks with some U.S. insurance companies that could potentially offer coverage to Americans who could benefit from it. This is one of the biggest reasons why we named GyroGlove one of our CES 2024 winners.

Photography: Cherlynn Low/Engadget

Mouth pad

I didn’t think I’d get an in-depth look at a person’s mouth and nose at CES 2024, but here we are. Sometimes you have to do weird things to check out unconventional gadgets. The MouthPad is very unusual. It’s a tongue-controlled controller that works with phones, tablets, laptops, and basically anything that accepts Bluetooth mouse input. These components include a panel-mounted trackpad, essentially a holder, as well as a battery and Bluetooth radio.

Although the concept sounds strange, it can actually be a boon for those who don’t have the use of their limbs, since your tongue, acting as a muscle, can provide more precise movement and control than your eyes can. If you’re worried about putting the device in your mouth, it might be helpful to know that the batteries are from the same company that makes them for medical-grade implants, while the rest of the tray is made of the resin commonly used in braces and braces. Mouthguard. The product is currently available as an early access kit, which includes setup and calibration help, and a new version (with longer battery life) is planned to launch later this year.

Occam hears

Assistive technology company OrCam won a 2022 CES Best of Accessibility award, so I’m interested to see what it has to offer this year. I was not disappointed. The company has some newer products to show off, but the most interesting ones are new ones for people with hearing loss. The OrCam Hear system is a three-part kit that includes a pair of earbuds, a phone adapter, and an app. The different parts work together to filter out background noise while identifying and isolating specific speakers in multi-party conversations.

During a demo during a raucous event at CES 2024, the voices of selected people around me became clear or muffled as company representatives dragged their icons in and out of my hearing range. I was particularly impressed when the system was able to identify the editor next to me and give me the option to focus on or filter his voice.

audio radar

If you’re a gamer, you know how important audio cues can sometimes be to a successful run. Developers often design sound environments for their games that are not only rich and immersive, but also contain cues about approaching enemies or dangers. Players who are hearing-impaired may miss this, and it’s unfair that they are disadvantaged due to their disability.

The company says a product called audio radar can help convert sound signals into visual cues so gamers with hearing loss can “see the sound.” The setup is quite simple. A box plugs into the game console to interpret the audio output and convert it into lights. The screen is surrounded by a series of RGB light strips that display different colors depending on the type of sound coming from each direction they represent.

CES 2024 not only saw the official launch of Audio Radar, but the company also launched an SDK for game developers to create custom visual cues for players with hearing impairments. Tim Murphy, the company’s founder and CEO, told Engadget that the company is working with gaming accessory maker Logitech “to support us in further developing our product and designing our go-to-market strategy.”

Photography: Cherlynn Low/Engadget

Transcription glass

Google Glass was resurrected at CES 2024. That’s right. The new product, called Transcribe Glass, is a small heads-up display that you can attach to any frame, and the result looks a lot like long-dead Google devices. It connects to your phone and uses the device’s onboard processing to transcribe what it hears, then projects the text onto a tiny transparent display that hovers above your eyes. Since TranscribeGlass uses a third-party API for translation, you will be able to adjust the font size, adjust the scroll speed and select the desired language model. Yes, it can also convert foreign languages ​​into languages ​​you can understand.

The company plans to launch it by the end of the year and wants the device to start at $199. When I tried them on in the showroom, I was surprised at how light and adjustable the hardware was. I had to squint a little to see the subtitles and experienced some Bluetooth lag, but other than that, the transcription was pretty fast and seemed accurate. The TranscribeGlass lasts about eight hours on a charge, which seems reasonable considering its capabilities.

Samsung’s subtitle accessibility feature

While we didn’t get to see the demo in person, Samsung did briefly mention “sign language functionality in Samsung Neo QLED,” “easily controlled by gestures for the hearing impaired, and audio subtitle functionality.” [that] “We couldn’t find this at the show, but the concept does make sense. Plus, the fact that Samsung TVs have mainstream appeal means these features could be more widely available than most of the niche products we cover in this roundup. use.

We will provide live coverage of CES 2024, which will be held in Las Vegas from January 6th to 12th.Get all the latest news from the show here.

This article was originally published on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/our-favorite-accessibility-products-at-ces-2024-170009710.html?src=rss

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