NuWave Glasses Help the Hearing Impaired by Connecting to Smartphones

A group of Virginia Tech students recently unveiled a new prototype for glasses that don't help users see more clearly — they help with hearing.

Undergraduate students Chelsey Pon, Lane Stith, Nellie Talbot and Peter Yoo created a pair of glasses called NuWave after participating in the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center's "Getting Wireless" Student Design Challenge earlier this year. Each team received a hypothetical character as the base for its project; the NuWave team focused on a fictional character named Michael, a 16-year-old who lost his hearing after a car crash. The team then explored the idea of bone conduction and looked for a way to create a device that wouldn't change Michael's appearance too drastically.

See also: Google Glass App Store Coming Next Year

The team devised non-prescription glasses that use a light indicator, portable battery, microphone for hearing aid function, bone conduction transducers and induction charging pad. The glasses combine the traditional use of the hearing aid with bone conduction, which is also used in Google Glass. The position of the glasses near the user's temporal bone lets sounds travel to the ear through vibrations.

The glasses connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth and a special app. Besides helping with hearing, they also alert the user when they receive a phone call or have an upcoming appointment. Google Glass was not created specifically for the hearing impaired, so the NuWave glasses could pave the way for new, similar products. At the time of writing, the product had yet to be tested.

Image: Flickr, dno1976b

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   1. Kenguru Electric Car

   Wheelchair users have driven cars for a long time -- various adaptations and modifications allow for more accessibility. But there's a major disadvantage: Most people need to collapse their wheelchairs and transfer themselves into the vehicle, which can be time-consuming and difficult.

   The Kenguru -- from founder and CEO Stacy Zoern, who struggles with muscular atrophy -- is an electric car in which drivers can remain in their wheelchairs. It's considered a "community car," only reaching 25 miles per hour (the legal maximum for such a car), meant for nearby errands. According to the website, the Kenguru will be available "soon" in the UK.

2. 2. SMART Belt

   People with epilepsy experience seizures at any time, often without warning. In May 2013, senior engineering students at Rice University in Texas developed the Seizure Monitoring and Response Transducer (SMART) belt to detect signs of seizures. It can also wirelessly send messages to guardians or caretakers.

   The Smart Belt is meant for ages six and up, and is still in development at the time of this writing.

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   3. Braille Smartphone

   We've seen cellphones with braille number keys, but what about touchscreen smartphones? Sumit Dagar, a 2011 TED Fellow, is developing a phone with a screen comprised of a grid of pins. When the user receives a message, the pins form shapes and characters using "Shape Memory Alloy" technology.

   Dagar hopes to release the phone by the end of 2013, with a price of $185.

4. 4. Lucy 4 Keyboard

   With the Lucy 4 keyboard, people with limited or no use of their hands can operate a computer. The user mounts a battery-operated laser pointer on his glasses or headband, then selects keys on the custom stand-up keyboard.

   A woman named Janine, who has cerebral palsy, created Lucy, and she even made the website and an introductory video using her invention. The Lucy 4 keyboard allows people with disabilities to compute, while lessening fatigue.

   The executive director of assistive tech company Touch the Future recently gave a demonstration of the Lucy 4 keyboard at the Abilities Expo in Atlanta, Ga. Prices vary according to insurance policies and taxes.

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   5. Eyeborg

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   He created the Eyeborg, which he straps to his head, to identify colors through audible tones sent through bone conduction. The device can pick up 360 hues.

   Learn more here.

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   6. DynaVox EyeMax

   DynaVox's EyeMax uses eye-tracking technology for computing, watching television, reading books and speaking for people with limited mobility.

   The EyeMax's camera tracks the user's eye movements, allowing him or her to use the device simply by blinking or gazing.

   Dynavox offers a wide variety of tools and apps for people who need help communicating. Check out the company's website for more.

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   7. Braille EDGE 40 Display

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   This particular model is interesting for its seven built-in apps (including Notepad, Scheduler and Stopwatch) and conveniently located navigation and function keys.

   The EDGE runs for $2,995.

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   DEKA Research & Development, founded by Dean Kamen, created the iBot with wheelchair users in mind. Standard wheelchairs, manual or motorized, often cannot handle rough terrains.

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    The DEKA arm has been a topic of conversation for a while, but according to a recent Popular Mechanics article, DARPA is still pushing boundaries with the technology.

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