How wearable tech can help people with disabilities

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Jen Quinlan shares an overview of her 2014 SXSW Interactive talk on how wearable technology can help people with disabilities. This presentation shares a story of how Glass helped a quadriplegic woman take a photograph for the first time in 20 years, challenges why wearables are relatively similar today yet our bodies are so different, profiles 9 innovative wearable products serving people with different abilities, and closes with key learnings any entrepreneur or business striving to serve people with disabilities with wearables will benefit from. As questions exist, please reach out to Jen Quinlan at @quirkyinsider on Twitter.

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WEARABLESHELPING PEOPLE W/ DISABILITIES#wearableshelpJen Quinlan | March 2014The following deck is an adaption of a presentation Jen Quinlan and J.P. Gownder, Forrester Research, led at SXSW 2014.

WHEN SMALL THINGS ARE A BIG DEAL.

.#wearableshelp.

Wearables were put on the map by Google Glass in 2013.

I feared it was all hype. Just a new Silicon Valley toy.

But then I heard about Tammie Van Sant, a quadriplegic woman that was a Glass Explorer.

"For 18 years, I wasn’t able to take pictures whenever I wanted. I can’t even describe how amazing [Glass] is. I can answer the phone and actually hear the person on the other end and they can hear me. When I get a text, I can read what the text says on the little prism and answer it."

With so much potential for how Glass can positively impact a person’s life, what a shame that these were the headlines that got national coverage.

THERE IS NOT JUST ONE BODY TYPE.

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PRODUCTS TO INSPIRE

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Created haptic GPS shoes for the blind. Evolved into haptic shoe inserts for consumer market.

POINT LOCUS@David_Barter Haptic vest for the blind that improves navigation.

Tongue Driving System (TDS) project for quadriplegic wheelchair navigation

A Glass app that helps people interpret others’ emotions to improve relationships and communication.

Gloves that improve communication with non-ASL community turning signs into voice via a mobile device and connected gloves.

A connected chest wearable for children that suffer from chronic seizures sends mobile alerts to parents.

Smart fabrics in clothing, bedsheets and undergarments provides less invasive means of monitoring outpatient care.

Wrist wearable coupled with in-home beacons enables independent living with data monitoring. Sends alerts when something looks “off”.

Manuel Dornbusch #ifihadMYO I would use sign language to substitute it for a keyboard in mobile use http://buff.ly/18fM6j9 #ifihadMYO

#ifihadMYO I would use it to control prosthetic arms, so people can move them as if they were their own arms – David S.

Student project creating navigation belt for blind inspires arm band wearable platform that is open for developers to create products.

KEY LEARNINGS

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BUILD THINGS THAT MATTER.

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Jen Quinlan@quirkyinsiderjenniferjmarshall@gmail.com

.#wearableshelp.