Sunu Band

By Jessilyn Matthias

Bats are known to navigate and hunt via sonar, and some vision-limited or blind individuals use sounds or listen to find their way or avoid obstacles.

The new Sunu Band relies on a variety of sensory inputs, such as touch, echolocation, and vibrations to alert the wearer of obstacles on their path. It fits around the user’s wrist much like a regular watch. The sensitivity of the technology can detect an object 16 feet away from the wearer, and augments other tools that blind users may have, such as white canes or dogs. It is also water resistant (although it should be kept away from water) and has rechargeable batteries.

Sunu Band boasts more sensors than similar products on the market, but also has several unique features. Individuals who are blind or have low vision can be aided by the built-in compass, navigation tools, and place finders and explorers. There is also an edge detector that alerts the user when he or she is getting to close to the edge of a doorway, corner, or other surface.

An online iOS App is available, but is not required for use. The App contains a plethora of features, including an online tutorial, updates, and email access to a Sunu support team that users can turn on or off.

If you value independence with security, the Sunu Band may be exactly what you are looking for. For more information, please go to https://www.sunu.io/index.html . The Sunu band retails for $299.

Ava Captioning Smartphone App

By Jessilyn Matthias

People who are hard-of-hearing or deaf often acquire skills such as lip reading to understand verbal speech and interact with others. However, in a crowd or at a packed table, it can be difficult to pay attention to everyone speaking. No one wants to feel left out of the conversation.

That’s when Ava can help! Download the free app and ask friends and family to get it too. When the app is activated, a person’s voice is immediately changed to text. Share messages with each other and speak into your device’s microphone to convert speech to text, each person’s comment appearing in a different color.

The free version of the Ava app provides five hours each month of conversations and captions, while a monthly subscription offers unlimited use and accessibility assistance for daily use.

Ava makes communication accessible for everyone. Communication can take place between friends, coworkers, family members, and anyone who has the app. Ava can also translate text to different languages like French, Spanish, and Italian. Language is very important to all of us; most of us take it for granted. For people who can’t speak well, are hard of hearing, or deaf, communication is as difficult as it is essential. Ava provides a way for everyone to communicate and be part of the conversation, and be a part of the world!

For more information, explore the Ava website: https://www.ava.me .

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Assistive Technology Articles (Compliation)