This is cool.
My machine has a knob with distinct turns and beeps. It always
defaults to a certain setting; so when we got the machine, I did write
down the info about each setting. It works for me, but not all
machines are this user-friendly, We bought ours in 2009.
Jan
On 7/16/17, David Goldfield <dgoldfield1211@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Teen designs talking washing machine for the visually impairedYou are invited to visit the moderator's Web site at WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
WLKY
Updated: 6:09 PM EDT Jul 14, 2017
LOUISVILLE, Ky. —
As computer technology has made appliances like washers and dryers smarter,
in some cases, it's actually made it more difficult for the visually
impaired with smaller wording and fewer knobs appearing on many machines.
But thanks to a ninth-grader and his father, they've made an application
that is fixing this dilemma.
"Before we had older ones that had dots, where the kids could line it up and
use the clock method (to tell) if this is colors or whatnot," said Katie
Adkins, a house parent at the Kentucky School for the Blind.
However, the braille dots would wear down over time, and students had to
rely on memory instead.
There was a breakthrough with a talking washing machine.
Surprisingly it was not a common application for washers and driers. Even
more surprising are the hands that created the software.
"This is easier, because it speaks to them," Adkins said. "It will tell them
every single setting and give them a lot more information that they didn't
necessarily have before."
Creator Jack Duplessis heard about the need from a family friend who is
visually impaired.
"A visually impaired person asked us, 'Wouldn't it be great if this knob on
the washer and dryer had a home position so you knew where you were,'" Jack
said. "It'd beep when you got to a certain position so you'd know where you
were."
After only a weekend of researching the idea, Jack surpassed the homing
device and developed software that spoke.
"It's a little computer, and he quickly programmed it to communicate with
our washers and driers, first in a synthesized voice, (but) later he had it
do a recorded voice," Jack's father, Sam Duplessis, said.
Jack's father helps manage Build First, a community of investors backed by
General Electric, that allows creative minds to use a free workspace to
create unique products for appliances.
When he gave Jack the opportunity to use the space, he and GE took notice.
The device is now in limited production throughout the U.S., including at
the School for the Blind.
"It feels pretty amazing that we made something usable and the helps them"
Jack said.
The device has also been programmed to speak several different languages.
During testing, GE also discovered there was a market for the device for
senior citizens who are losing their sight.
WLKY Louisvill
--
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist Feel free to visit my Web
site WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
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