Field: Accessibility
How one streamer learned to play video games with only her mind
Perrikaryal uses an EEG to translate her brain activity into game commands, turning her mind into a video game controller.
Honda unveils hands-free wheelchair you steer like a Segway
Honda Robotics has unveiled a prototype of the UNI-ONE, a hands-free wheelchair that you steer with your body weight.
Autonomous public transportation rolls out in Arizona
Sun City, Arizona has launched a free transit system featuring self-driving cars for its retirement-age residents.
New tech creates liquid buttons on touchscreens
Carnegie Mellon researchers want to return a sense of touch to touchscreens.
Meta can (kinda) guess what you’ve heard via your brain waves
Meta has created an AI that can tell what you’re hearing based on non-invasive brain scan measurements.
New industries are embracing apprenticeships
Eschewing costly college degrees, earn-and-learn apprenticeship programs are pushing into new industries.
Brain implant translates thought to text
A paralyzed man used a brain-computer interface to send the first "direct-thought tweet."
Google rolls out new tools to help your doctor search
Google has debuted new ways to make your doctor search easier, allowing you to know what insurance they take and languages they speak.
Speech impairments aren’t a problem for Google’s new voice app
Google’s Project Relate app makes it easier for people with speech impairments to communicate and use speech-recognition tech.
Package free store offers work for neurodiverse employees
Opening in North Carolina, Part & Parcel is a package free grocery store that strives to decrease single-use packaging waste and offer inclusive employment.
DIYers create halloween costume for 10-year-old in a wheelchair
Many Halloween costumes are not designed for kids who wear them sitting down — the maker community wants to change that.
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Just Might Work
NYC’s nonprofit DIY internet is taking on Verizon & more
1.5 million New Yorkers lack access to high-speed internet. Can a DIY mesh internet network change that?
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Catalysts
Beyond the classroom: Outschool gives kids the chance to follow their dreams
In partnership with Stand Together
Watch 13-year-old Isaac’s dreams come true with a heartwarming surprise from the Stand Together community and a Dallas Cowboys legend.
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Make It Count
How vertical farming can save the planet and feed the world
In partnership with Million Stories
Vertical farming is a radical new way to feed our growing population sustainably. But can it replace traditional farming?
World-class surfers help kids with disabilities ride the waves
Ten children with disabilities got a chance to go surfing through an adaptive sports program at NYC’s Hospital for Special Surgery.
MIT has created an inflatable prosthetic hand
MIT researchers have created a soft, inflatable prosthetic hand that provides advanced abilities at a fraction of the cost and weight.
Robot café hires people with disabilities to operate robo-waiters
At the Dawn Avatar Robot Café in Tokyo, diners are served by robotic avatars controlled remotely by people with disabilities.
Honda startup equips shoes with vibrating navigation system
A Honda-established startup is developing a vibrating navigation system that helps visually impaired people get around by vibrating their feet to relay directions.
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Ramen Profitable
A new kind of haptic wearable: GPS for the blind
In partnership with Million Stories
A new kind of wristband is about to enter the wearable tech scene — the first haptic GPS for the blind.
How Spin is making its e-scooter service more accessible
In partnership with Ford
Spin, a micromobility provider, is using AI to help make e-scooters safer and city streets more accessible to all residents.
AI backpack “sees” for visually impaired people
An AI backpack powered by Intel technology “sees” for visually impaired people, letting them know about any potential obstacles in their path.
Nike unveils its first hands-free sneaker: The GO FlyEase
The GO FlyEase is Nike’s first completely hands-free sneaker — and the design was inspired by a letter from a teenage boy with cerebral palsy.
Smartphone app gives independent travel to the disabled
In partnership with Ford
A new smartphone app unlocks independent travel for people with intellectual disabilities.
Amputee veterans need to game, so this engineer builds new controllers from scratch
Inspired by his visits to Walter Reed Medical Center, engineer Ken Jones makes adaptive controllers to keep veterans gaming.
Playgrounds are boring. Here’s how to make them fun again
One father in Portland, Oregon is helping design the parks of the future with inclusive playground equipment that makes play accessible to all.
Blind YouTuber shows tech industry how to be more inclusive
Visually impaired YouTuber Kristy Viers has created a channel where she demonstrates the assistive technology features on her devices.
This haptic suit lets you 'hear' music through your skin
It’s been nearly impossible for the deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing to experience live music together. The use of a haptic suit may finally change that.
This designer is making masks for people with disabilities
With special closures, see-through panels, and a riot of colors and patterns, designer Sky Cubacub is making face masks for people with disabilities.
Smart cane gives the blind freedom to explore
WeWALK’s smart cane uses ultrasonic sensors and GPS navigation to help the visually impaired navigate the world around them safely and independently.
Closed caption glasses: A new way to watch theater
London’s National Theatre made performances more accessible to patrons with hearing loss by creating a smart set of glasses that recognizes spoken words and adapts to stage cues to provide real-time captions.
Dad builds amusement park for daughter
This dad couldn’t find a theme park that worked for his daughter with special needs - so he built one.
Helping people with disabilities become working artists
Only 20% of people with disabilities participate in the workforce; Art Enables helps those with special needs turn art into a career.
Esight lets the legally blind see
This legally blind man is seeing his wedding for the first time. 15 years after he got married.