I-Corps: Georgia Tech iCorps Team: Walker, Yeung, and Solomon

在美国和世界各地，数百万盲人和低视力者中有许多人使用iPhone等移动的设备，利用内置的听觉用户界面。当他们想在走路时打电话或查看电子邮件时，包括当他们积极使用白色手杖或拿着导盲犬的挽具时，他们必须停下来，收起手杖或遏制狗;拿出手机;把它放在耳朵上听听觉界面（或通过戴耳机的额外步骤），并使用滑动和点击来导航设备？的语音菜单。在一个忙碌/嘈杂的地方，这可能很慢，甚至很危险。拟议的计划是将一个坚固的、防风雨的遥控装置嵌入白色手杖或狗背带的手柄中。然后，用户可以简单地使用他/她的自由拇指来与遥控器的按钮交互，同时仍然使用白色手杖或握住狗挽具。其他潜在用户包括骑自行车者、跑步者、徒步旅行者、滑雪者和其他活跃的个人。该团队开发了一种功能齐全的白色手杖手柄（在真实的的白色手杖上），可以连接到iPhone，并允许用户在正常使用手杖的同时与iPhone进行交互。目前的原型已经从草图，到绿色泡沫模型，再到CAD模型，再到3D打印的假手柄，最后到3D打印的完整手柄，带有功能齐全的按钮。原型的内部电子设备使用从一个小型蓝牙键盘上取下的电路板。手杖手柄上的按钮与键盘电路板上的箭头键相连。这是可行的，并利用键盘与手机的现有连接。该团队已经演示了功能齐全的原型，并已开始进行用户测试，以验证手杖与iPhone的连接是否按预期工作，用户可以舒适有效地与手杖进行交互，并且用户可以在行走时访问iPhone。

Many of the millions of blind and low-vision people in the US and around the world use mobile devices such as iPhones, taking advantage of the built-in auditory user interface. When they want to make a call or check email while walking, including when they are actively using a white cane or holding the harness of a Guide Dog, they must stop, stow the cane or curb the dog; take out the phone; hold it to the ear to hear the auditory interface (or go through the added steps of donning headphones), and use swipes and taps to navigate the device?s spoken menus. This can be slow or even dangerous in a busy/noisy location. The proposed plan is to embed a robust, weatherproof remote control device into the handle of the white cane or dog harness. The user could then simply use his/her free thumb to interact with the remote's buttons while still using the white cane or holding the dog harness. Other potential users include cyclists, runners, hikers, skiers, and other active individuals. The team has developed a fully functional white cane handle (on a real white cane) that connects to an iPhone, and allows the user to interact with their iPhone while simultaneously using the cane as normal. The current prototype has evolved from sketches, to green foam models, to CAD models, to 3D printed dummy handles, and finally to 3D printed complete handles, with fully functioning buttons. The internal electronics for the prototype use the circuit board taken from a small Bluetooth keyboard. The buttons on the cane handle are physically wired to the keyboard circuit board's arrow keys. This works, and leverages the keyboard's existing connectivity to the phone. The team has demoed the fully functional prototype, and has started user testing to verify that the cane-to-iPhone connection works as expected, that the user can interact comfortably and effectively with the cane, and that the user can access ther iPhone while walking.