Tuesday, September 1, 2015

The software with which Stephen Hawking communicates becomes open source – Disabili.com

 Stephen Hawking The software, now available for download for free, will allow other people immobilized by serious disabilities to communicate through facial movements

From the app to disability, to the hand bionics, to the sound of “touch”, there are many technological advances that make everyday innovations especially in the medical field, as well as in assisting people with disabilities, improving their living conditions.

One of the difficulties that this progress is a legacy may be, however, access to these technologies, sometimes just the preserve of the few. They are therefore to be welcomed news like this comes from the US, and starring the company Intel , who has now made Free and open to all software called “assistive context-aware toolkit” , abbreviated Acat This is the system used to communicate from the famous physicist Stephen Hawking , with severe progressive muscular atrophy that forced him to immobility virtually absolute.

The system uses a camera , or infrared sensor, which converts facial expressions in controls that shall be given to making available the computer Internet browsing and the use of various programs, but the central point is a predictive software that uses a keyboard to complete the phrases “look” by Hawking and suggest the following, in fact giving voice to his thoughts.

The company has decided to make public software, allowing other developers to modify the code to improve it and adapt it to the needs of other people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or other diseases seriously disabling, thus giving the opportunity to many more people access to this technology that could certainly improve living conditions.

Available only for Windows from version 7 onwards, ACAT is now distributed under the Apache License version 2.0. The free download can be made from the relevant page on GitHub, while Intel has uploaded a series of online resources and documents, including movies with examples on the operation of sensors and a comprehensive user guide and detailed, to expand the potential of the system.

Below, a video showing how the system used by Stephen Hawking

 
  
disabili.com:

Braille: the idea that facilitates the Italian press and makes community

Mobility, posture , accessibility: some aids that improve the daily life

Editorial

LikeTweet

No comments:

Post a Comment