<p>Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) are enhancing already-developed wearable devices that come with the latest technologies to assist people with hearing impairment and motor disabilities to communicate independently.</p>.<p>These wearable sensors will include the latest sensor technologies used in the Internet of Things and the devices are being developed by the Centre for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology (CREATE), which is spearheading two projects ‘Vibe’ and iGest.</p>.<p>Funded by Sony Pictures Networks India through its CSR initiative, ‘Vibe’ will generate vibration and LED light inputs for pre-identified sounds like doorbells while ‘iGest’ will recognise gestures and provide audio output through a smartphone, helping people with cerebral palsy to communicate.</p>.<p>In a statement on the eve of the International Day of Disabled Persons on Friday, the prestigious IIT-M said Vibe is a wearable device that will vibrate for acoustic sounds around a person with hearing impairment and features a multitude of sound patterns that are recognised using a microphone and voice recognition modules.</p>.<p>iGest, which recognises the gestures of those with limited motor skills and convert them into audio output through a smartphone, aims to address issues of speech impairment and motor impairments faced by persons with cerebral palsy.</p>.<p>As per the last census, 20% of the Indian population suffered from a motor disability. Such individuals will frequently go in for occupational therapy.</p>.<p>“Due to the non-availability of affordable and sustainable assistive devices and systems, the hearing-impaired are excluded from the mainstream and inclusive education. Also, the imported devices cannot be afforded by most people,” Prof. Anil Prabhakar, Head, CREATE-IIT Madras, and Faculty, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, said.</p>.<p>He added that the cost of the product is kept low and to be less than Rs 5,000 so that it emerges as an affordable device for its basic functionality.</p>.<p>“Inclusivity is an essential aspect of the culture at Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI). We are proud to extend our support to IIT- Madras for this project, which is an effort to ensure that the needs of differently-abled communities are addressed in the most convenient, affordable and accessible manner,” Rajkumar Bidawatka, Company Secretary, Compliance Officer and Head CSR, Sony Pictures Networks India, said.</p>
<p>Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) are enhancing already-developed wearable devices that come with the latest technologies to assist people with hearing impairment and motor disabilities to communicate independently.</p>.<p>These wearable sensors will include the latest sensor technologies used in the Internet of Things and the devices are being developed by the Centre for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology (CREATE), which is spearheading two projects ‘Vibe’ and iGest.</p>.<p>Funded by Sony Pictures Networks India through its CSR initiative, ‘Vibe’ will generate vibration and LED light inputs for pre-identified sounds like doorbells while ‘iGest’ will recognise gestures and provide audio output through a smartphone, helping people with cerebral palsy to communicate.</p>.<p>In a statement on the eve of the International Day of Disabled Persons on Friday, the prestigious IIT-M said Vibe is a wearable device that will vibrate for acoustic sounds around a person with hearing impairment and features a multitude of sound patterns that are recognised using a microphone and voice recognition modules.</p>.<p>iGest, which recognises the gestures of those with limited motor skills and convert them into audio output through a smartphone, aims to address issues of speech impairment and motor impairments faced by persons with cerebral palsy.</p>.<p>As per the last census, 20% of the Indian population suffered from a motor disability. Such individuals will frequently go in for occupational therapy.</p>.<p>“Due to the non-availability of affordable and sustainable assistive devices and systems, the hearing-impaired are excluded from the mainstream and inclusive education. Also, the imported devices cannot be afforded by most people,” Prof. Anil Prabhakar, Head, CREATE-IIT Madras, and Faculty, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, said.</p>.<p>He added that the cost of the product is kept low and to be less than Rs 5,000 so that it emerges as an affordable device for its basic functionality.</p>.<p>“Inclusivity is an essential aspect of the culture at Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI). We are proud to extend our support to IIT- Madras for this project, which is an effort to ensure that the needs of differently-abled communities are addressed in the most convenient, affordable and accessible manner,” Rajkumar Bidawatka, Company Secretary, Compliance Officer and Head CSR, Sony Pictures Networks India, said.</p>
