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58 Phenomenal Sensory Innovations

From Blind Architect Consultants to Magnanimous Mailing Services

— August 26, 2011 — Lifestyle
As the potentials of modern technology continue to leap forward at an alarming rate, they've haphazardly left disabled customers in the dust -- luckily, these impaired innovations will rectify that glaring mistake.

Tech moguls like Apple, Sony and Microsoft have turned their attention almost entirely toward the able-bodied population, leaving an entire market niche uncared for: the hearing and seeing impaired. Fortunately, smaller hardware companies have risen to the occasion and have begun releasing products that make life easier, more straightforward and ultimately more hopeful for the blind and deaf.

Whether it's an iPhone accessory that identifies cataracts early in life or sonar-powered gloves that make navigation a synch for the seeing-impaired, these inventions are sure to comfort those who need it most. And although these developments are encouraging, it's important that funding continues -- not only for the sake of goodwill, but because this is a genuinely lucrative business sector.
3.7
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
57
Ultra-Perceptive Gauntlets
Ultra-Perceptive Gauntlets
The Blind Can Almost See With the Tacit Glove
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56
Augmented Vision Apps
Augmented Vision Apps
Dan Kaminsky Helps Vision Through 'DanKam'
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55
Blindness-Curing Devices
Blindness-Curing Devices
These CATRA Smartphone Eyepieces Help Those With Cataracts
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54
Magnanimous Mailing Services
Magnanimous Mailing Services
Mumbai's Mirakle Couriers Gives the Disadvantaged Much-Needed Work
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53
Soundless Pianos
Soundless Pianos
Beyond Silence Uses Vibrations to Let the Deaf Enjoy the Music They Make
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52
Brail-Inspired Texting
Brail-Inspired Texting
The 'Tactile Texting' Utensil Helps the Blind Type on Their Cell Phones
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51
Lip-Reading Computers
Lip-Reading Computers
New Technology Lets You Read Lips & Identify Languages
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50
Sightless Expedition Aids
Sightless Expedition Aids
The Peepo Explorer Helps Guide the Blind Through the Urban Jungle
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49
Blind Touchscreen Gadgets
Blind Touchscreen Gadgets
Thimble Finger Glove Brings Visually Impaired into Tech Age
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48
Blind Architect Consultants
Blind Architect Consultants
Chris Downey Turns Tragedy Into an Innovative New Gig
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47
Blind Grocery Guides
Blind Grocery Guides
The Love Card from Shen Ming Makes Sightless Grocery Shopping Easier
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46
Cabs for the Blind
Cabs for the Blind
The Eric Leong IRIS Concept Cab Transports People Via Text Messaging
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45
Sightless Tablet Translators
Sightless Tablet Translators
The Omnifer iPad Accessory Converts Onscreen Text into Braille
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44
Tactile Dinner Tables
Tactile Dinner Tables
The Moon Table Makes Dinner Time Easier on the Blind
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43
Blind-Aiding Radar
Blind-Aiding Radar
New Radar Systems for the Blind Could Help Them to 'See'
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42
Braille Mapping Gadgets
Braille Mapping Gadgets
This Robert Richter 'Plan B' Device Guides You on Your Journeys
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41
Tactile Charge Cards
Tactile Charge Cards
The Braille CC is Designed with the Blind in Mind
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40
Blind Cameras
Blind Cameras
Sascha Pohflepp's 'Buttons' Camera Doesn't Take Pictures, Just Sees Them
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39
Revolutionary Retina Chips
Revolutionary Retina Chips
Eberhart Zrenner's Groundbreaking Eye Implant Reverses Blindness
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38
Inverse Blinding Machines
Inverse Blinding Machines
Genesis Illumination's StunRay XL-2000 Blinds Criminals
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37
Morse Code Timepieces
Morse Code Timepieces
The Vibrating Plated Watch Uses an Old Communication System to Tell Time
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36
Automatic Guitar Tuners
Automatic Guitar Tuners
The TunerMatic Robotic Guitar Tuner Lets the Tone-Deaf Relax
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35
Hearing-Impaired GPS
Hearing-Impaired GPS
The Seek Deaf Informational Navigational System Helps Achieve Independence
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34
Sign Language Translators
Sign Language Translators
HandTalk Glove
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33
Near-Sighted Lecture Tech
Near-Sighted Lecture Tech
Note-Taker Enables Low Vision Students to See the Blackboard
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32
Sightless Adhesive Aids
Sightless Adhesive Aids
Braille Tape Helps the Blind Organize Easier
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31
Braille Laptops
Braille Laptops
The Braille Sense Plus QWERTY Notetaker and MP3 Player
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30
Colorblind Traffic Lights
Colorblind Traffic Lights
The UNIsignal Incorporates Shapes into Stoplights for Accessibility
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29
Fingertip Reading Scanners
Fingertip Reading Scanners
The Haptic Braille Reads Text for the Visually Impaired
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28
Phones for the Disabled
Phones for the Disabled
Braille and Surface Scanner Cell Phones
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27
Blind-Friendly Phones
Blind-Friendly Phones
The LG Loop by Andres Parada Caters to the Visually Impaired
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26
Braille Measuring Jugs
Braille Measuring Jugs
Virgile Thevoz Designs a Liquid Measuring Tool for the Blind
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25
Braille Education Balls
Braille Education Balls
The Be-B is a Molecular-Looking Conceptual Toy to Help Teach Braille
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24
Blind-Friendly Shopping Aids
Blind-Friendly Shopping Aids
The Braille Credit Card is for Sightless Shopaholics
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23
Rolling Braille Readers
Rolling Braille Readers
Wonkook Lee's Snail Reader Revolutionizes Reading
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22
Multifunctional Translators
Multifunctional Translators
SVLT Helps the Blind and Deaf Communicate
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21
3D Braille Maps
3D Braille Maps
The Brainovi Navigates Blind People in the Right Direction
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20
Braille Cell Phones
Braille Cell Phones
The Tactile Phone Uses Electronic Pulses to Simulate Braille Symbols
<
19
Braille Wine Bottle
Braille Wine Bottle
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18
Sign Language Translators
Sign Language Translators
Mac Funamizu Design Helps the Hearing-Impaired Communicate
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17
Hearing-Impaired Translators
Hearing-Impaired Translators
The Deafcommunicator Provides Real-Time Interpretation
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16
Braille Health Monitors
Braille Health Monitors
The Blood Pressure Monitor for the Blind is a Useful Invention
<
15
Braille Stovetops
Braille Stovetops
R.D. Silva's Sentino Cook Top Makes Blind Cooking Safer and Easier
<
14
Pictogram Bangles
Pictogram Bangles
Konstantin Datz's 'Wristband for Deaf People' Translates Sound into Images
<
13
Clever Tactile Notations
Clever Tactile Notations
The 'Braille Stapler' is a User-Friendly Gadget for the Blind
<
12
Braille Timepieces
Braille Timepieces
'Tact' from Julien Bergignat Lets the Blind Feel the Time
<
11
Transmuting Multimedia Gloves
Transmuting Multimedia Gloves
The 'Panopticon' Device Will Read to You Aloud
<
10
Tactile Cooking Utensils
Tactile Cooking Utensils
Sento Cookware Provides Safe and Easy Kitchen Supplies for the Blind
<
9
Blind Time Tellers
Blind Time Tellers
The Braille Wristwatch Makes Telling Time Simpler and Intuitive
<
8
Braille Tea-Brewing Thermoses
Braille Tea-Brewing Thermoses
This Halim Lee Special Teatime Infuser is a Barista for the Blind
<
7
Touchscreen Transit Maps
Touchscreen Transit Maps
Eye Stop Bus Shelter is the Best Route to a Better City
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6
Vibrating Speakers
Vibrating Speakers
The Ripple by Jackson McConnell Helps the Hearing-Impaired "Feel the Beat"
<
5
Dancing Deaf
Dancing Deaf
‘Music-Toucher' Vibrating Ballet Shoes Let Dancers Feel Music
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4
Tactile Timekeepers
Tactile Timekeepers
The Haptica Braille Watch Indicates the Hour to Your Fingertips
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3
Sensational Tactile Timepieces
Sensational Tactile Timepieces
The Rub. Feel. Know Watch Gives You a Sense of the Hour
<
2
Braille City Maps
Braille City Maps
The DROP GPS Device Encourages You to Follow Blindly
<
1
Quivering Wrist Alerts
Quivering Wrist Alerts
The Deaf Alarm Table Acts as Ears for the Hearing Impaired
<