Event showcased how technology can change lives
In the Friday, May 30, edition of the Butler Eagle, we learned about a showcase of technology designed to help people with disabilities navigate the world more easily.
Products on display at Lifesteps Assistive Technology’s “Innovations in Technology” session included everything from a prototype of a robotic hand designed to communicate by sign language to people who are deaf-mute to off-the-shelf smart glasses from Rayban.
Those glasses, which can offer on-the-fly descriptions for people who are blind or only partly sighted or integrate with hearing aids, are an excellent example of the way technology is helping people with disabilities lead independent lives.
Mass market innovations like artificial intelligence and smart devices are also helping. One product at the session was the Brava smart oven, which has built in recipes and cooking guides and recently added a smartphone app to control it.
Diana Petschauer, director of assistive technology for Lifesteps, gave the example of an elderly widower whose children were worried about him eating too many microwave meals. They got him a Brava oven and he’s been able to start cooking meals for himself.
Innovations like that can literally change lives. Kudos to Lifesteps for holding these sessions so more people can see what’s out there, as well as things that are coming soon.
— JK
