An expert shares why the future is out of our hands.
WHETHER ITS THE ABILITY to ask Siri to call your partner to pick up a
forgotten ingredient when youre busy cooking, or the reassuring but
commanding tone of Google Maps telling you that youve come off track,
hands-free technology is infiltrating our lives at a rapid rate.
For a lecturer at the School of Computing at Dublin City University, Dr
Dónal Fitzpatrick, its about far more than convenience however. Dr
Fitzpatrick, has over his career specialised in the development of
non-visual access to mathematics and other complex data.
Blind from birth, Dr Fitzpatrick is passionate about how non-visual
technology can enrich peoples lives, whether they are living with a
disability or not. Hes also an avid skier in his spare time.
Here he shares seven ways that hands-free technology is set to shake up our
lives.
1. Its already in millions of homes, thanks to Siri
Even though voice-powered computers existed for a number of years before
Siri reached our iPhones (and there are alternatives like Google Voice),
Apples release of Siri was a big turning point for the spread and
acceptance of hands-free technology, according to Dr Fitzpatrick.
There were others before that but because of Apples marketing and brand
management a huge number of people suddenly acquired this technology. It was
very handy to be able to say send a message to whoever but you do still have
to check the message before you send it. The ability to do that instead of
typing can be very handy for those with a disability.
The real clincher in these types of technology? The ability to converse,
rather than command, says Dr Fitzpatrick:
We need technology to be more conversational and have the ability to ask a
number of questions like, what is the weather in London like today? And
then to simply be able to ask, And tomorrow?. In a lot of systems it
doesnt work like this but it cant be about issuing commands or specific
phrasing, it must be unobtrusive.
2. Gesture-controlled gaming is about to get big
Once voice control technology reaches a speed that responds quickly enough
not to interrupt someones experience, it may become a common feature of
gaming.
In the gaming environment its going to come down to speed and how quickly
can you give the command to the character.
Certain types of games may have the potential for becoming completely
hands-free, says Dr Fitzpatrick:
In games like online chess, there is a recognised code that would really
lend itself to voice control. Gesture-based interfaces like virtual reality
will definitely evolve in gaming.
3. The era of touch-screen may have an expiry date
You may have noticed that the touch-screen technology we enjoy using on our
phones has begun to appear in other areas of our lives, like within our
kitchens and on our computers, which isnt always a good thing, explains Dr
Fitzpatrick.
One very important concern of his is the spread of touch-screen technology
in this sphere, which can make tasks very difficult for those with vision or
motor problems. However, he sees hands-free technology as a good solution to
this:
Appliances need to become more controllable by users with disabilities. If
the trend for touch-screen continues there are a lot of people throughout
the world who wont be able to cook or wash clothes. We need for some way to
control these through voice interaction or phone applications.
4. Its much easier to train people on hands-free technology
Have you ever had to explain at length how to record a programme to your
parents, with fear of even mentioning the training involved in catching
something on The Player?
Its not an uncommon experience, and technology isnt always designed to be
as accessible as possible for its users, which is where hands-free or
voice-powered technology can really make things a bit more straightforward:
There are accessibility issues for various people who have a disability but
this goes into the mainstream too, such as older adults who grew up without
technology. Maybe they want to just change the channel on a television or
find out when the next match is without trying to navigate menus and
remember buttons.
5. Its transforming the lives of the disabled community
According to Dr Fitzpatrick, the development of voice-powered technology,
and its inclusion in mainstream consumer products have been huge for any
users who struggle to see or operate devices:
Its mainly stuff thats happening in mainstream thats relevant to the
disabled community, things like Amazon Echo and Amazon Fire TV which are all
powered by voice-controlled personal assistant technology, Alexa. These are
very interesting for people who have disabilities. If you cant operate a
keyboard it really opens up a wealth of opportunities if you are able to
issue a query with your voice to operate a device.
These types of technologies, which are being developed by a number of
companies, allow a person to use their voice to control music playback, make
to-do lists, set alarms, stream podcasts, play audiobooks, and seek weather,
traffic and other real time information.
6. Its part of the move for engineers into universal design
Dr Fitzpatrick is a passionate advocate of universal design, that all
products should be designed to be accessible by all users. An example of
this is the type of voice-controlled software that a lot of technology
companies have pioneered into the mainstream.
Voice-powered technology is a lot less cumbersome than traditional screen
readers, which read different menu items but may have several layers of
menus to navigate for a blind or physically disabled person, according to Dr
Fitzpatrick.
For blind people specifically, its very useful to navigate without layers
and layers of menus. A screen reader is used by blind people to access
computers and phones as it speaks what appears on screen or what the user
inputs, using synthetic speech. This means that the phone or computer is
powered by voice output to convey what sighted users can see.
7. Its about to make homes a whole lot smarter
to walk into a room and command the lights may seem like something from a
James Bond film, but its actually something that is already available, and
again, it holds huge possibility for all users. I think the big development
is going to be controlling in-house systems, predicts Dr Fitzpatrick.
A lot of devices can be equipped with voice control technology or linked
into systems that can. Now I can walk into a house and ask Alexa, what
lights are on? As a blind person if I can ask what lights are on thats
really useful. A lot of ovens and kitchen appliances are now operated by
touch-screens, and if they could be controlled by your phone or a spoken
interface that could be very interesting.
Last week, we covered other hands-free technology set to arrive in homes,
such as lights and a kettle that you can control with your phone, along with
a device that can turn any surface into a means to control switches
<http://www.thejournal.ie/futuristic-inventions-3315370-Mar2017/> , showing
just some of the other ways hands-free technology is set to take over our
homes.
Whether its as a means of ensuring that new technology is accessible for
everyone, or just as an exciting addition to your favourite device or app,
the future is definitely looking like its going to be hands-free.
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