5/1/2023 0 Comments Audio book playersI had the advantage that I could follow up on another project at CTU, which worked with visually impaired seniors. I went through all the related challenges of the target group, such as aging, loss of vision, health status and what influences them. “Listening to books should not be limited by users’ computer skills.” How did you go about designing the prototype?įirst, I studied the context in which the device will be used. We expect that caregivers or relatives can take care of content management. Our design simplifies the process of adding new content through remote-upload capability. Another problem is uploading content to your device. The same buttons cover various functions, the functionality is too limited… For example, you cannot easily rewind the track. These can be a little bit easier to use but still have their own issues. There are players on the market for the elderly, that play audio from a flash drive or an SD card. These user interfaces do not take into account impaired motor skills and fingertip sensitivity, which can in many cases deteriorate due to aging and various illnesses. The available players are often suitable only for younger users, which means that they are small devices with a display or a touchscreen and a number of small buttons located close to each other. This is probably because designers have not been too concerned with this target group when designing the user interface. Why aren’t currently available audiobook players a good solution? In addition, the functionality of the device could be extended by other features such as radio, television, or RSS reader, so that you could access the Internet content using the Reprobooktor. Using the audiobook is not limited by the number of audiobooks the user can afford to buy. The advantage here, in the Czech Republic (as in some other countries), is that audiobooks are available free of charge for the visually impaired, through an internet library. Reprobooktor’s design allows visually impaired seniors a new level of independence and the ability to enjoy free time without any assistance – which is something many people take for granted. This is a rather important topic for this target group because they are exposed to new obstacles, negative emotions or depression due to their loss of vision. Any new opportunity for an independent leisure activity can have a very positive impact on their quality of life. Reprobooktor is a device designed to make it easier for the elderly with vision impairment to listen to audiobooks, give them access to current technologies. What is Reprobooktor and what was your motivation for creating it? We have asked Barbora a couple of questions about her interesting project… The name is a play on words, a combination of “reproduktor” (a Czech word for “Speaker”) and “book”. It has been developed by Barbora Endrstova, now a postgraduate from Czech Technical University in Prague, and it’s called Reprobooktor. Today, we’re going to look at another project that aims to help people. The e-NABLE and Team UnLimbited projects, which create free 3D printed hands and arms for those in need of an upper limb assistive device are a great example. There are a number of 3D printing applications that can make a big difference in someone’s quality of life.
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