ILLUMINATING THE LIVES OF SPECIALLY ABLED PEOPLE

National Science Day is celebrated in India on February 28. The theme this year is ‘Science and Technology for Specially Abled Persons’. Let’s glimpse through some technologies that are transforming the lives of specially abled people. 1 Chris and Marie had worked on making the lives of visually challenged people more accessible. They had challenged the Canadian banks and filed a discrimination complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission in 1991. They clamored for a revolutionary reform. The first of its kind was reportedly rolled out in 1997 in Ottawa. In 2012, Ahmedabad became the first Indian city to have this feature. What is it? Can you listen to colours? Neil Harbisson was born with a condition called Achromatopsia that limits his colour perception to just black and white. He then created a camera for people like him that curls over the head like an antenna, converting colour inputs into specific sounds that help people listen to colours. What is this unique technology called? Over 10 million people worldwide have essential tremors or Parkinson’s disease. This new machine uses over hundreds of algorithms and helps people with Parkinson’s disease and supports their food consumption. The hand of the patient is monitored by this machine. The company that had created this magic tool was Liftware and it was recently acquired by Google. What did they make? A revolutionary thing designed by a mother to give her wheelchair-bound son a walk has changed the lives of thousands of parents. Debby Elnatan whose son Rotem has cerebral palsy, had created it. And in the UK and US, this innovation is helping parents give their child opportunities of inclusion and mobility. What did Debby Elnatan innovate? Pera Technologyv, a Leicestershirebased firm created a working prototype, called Anagraphs. It uses software-controlled heat to expand paraffin waxes in its screen, turning the material from liquid to solid and controlling the main features of the prototype, which are raised. An Austrian company called Blitab is producing this professionally. Which innovation are we talking about?