Exploring Innovation at CSUN 2024! Assistive Technology Expo!

Vision Forward's Tech Connect

Every spring for the past 38 years, Northridge has drawn folks from around the world to Anaheim, California in order to learn about and get hands on experience with the newest innovations in Assistive Technology!   Despite the spring snowstorms, Cory and Luke have returned safely and they are eager to share their experiences with you all! On today's Tech Connect, we take you down to the expo floor for an episode of interviews with some of the interesting people who make CSUN so exciting!  There were many companies representing their newest products and updates. Among those we spoke to are: Gluidance Mobility Aid, Cloverbook XL Foldable Magnifier, Humanware, Blindshell, and we even spoke to the folks at the CSUN booth itself! We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this year's event. Including also: The Biped, Mercury 24, Aware Wolf Canes, Magnibot and many more!  0:00 Start   0:22 Gluidance Mobility Aid 3:02 Cloverbook XL Foldable Magnifier 4:01 Humanware Stellar Trek AI Update  10:35 Blindshell Classic 2 14:40 CSUN Booth  18:36 Ending Montage  Join us next time on Tech Connect, and be sure to leave your thoughts down in the comments below and ask plenty of questions!  Vision Forward's Tech Connect continues to bring you the information you need to make the most out of your devices. Our experts know there are many factors to consider, so if you have any follow up questions please post them in the comments and we will help you find the assistive tech that's best for you.    Join us, find the schedule by visiting out website:  https://vision-forward.org/techconnect   Contact Vision Forward Association:  Call us: (414-615-0103)  Email us: infocus@vision-forward.org  Visit us online: https://www.vision-forward.org   Online Store: https://www.vision-forward.org/store  Want more Tech Connect in your life? Try us Live! Be sure to join us for the upcoming YouTube Live! show on March 28th at 11am CST.   Looking for the full playlist? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdZ61dAGaL_k3I-_LcTPozan9upCqY8Yc   Most Recent!  CSUN 2024 Wrap Up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F31GaOc47w   Still New! How to Host Your Own Zoom Meeting! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPuoGAarJsk   Before that: Accessible Cooking with Vision Loss!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wclltupxU4U   Still New: "OrCam Read 3.0 Update with Corinne Nero" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X8Pp2Ok2-M   Earlier this year  "Accessible Video Games with Jesse Anderson" https://www.youtube.com/live/RMd9_Hy_7kQ?si=THfB2jPWYHb2Oakt   Older Shows! "Low Vision Youtube with Carrie On Accessibility" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV_u4Mt2y6E   End of 2023 Wrap Up with Sam Seavey and Peter Tucic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2AYkmW9pjU   #Envision #EnvisionAI #SmartReading #OCR #Wearable #assistivetechnology #EnvisionGlasses #GPT #ChatGPT #AIEnhanced #lowvision #OpticalCharacterRecognition #apple #technology #blindness #blindtech #lowvision #vision #sightloss #blind #smartgadgets #smartw

Transcript

00:00 Hey y'all, welcome back to another Tech Connect. It's March, it's sunny, that only

00:05 means one thing, it's time for CSUN. We're here in Anaheim, California finding out

00:10 what is new in the world of assistive technology. Join us as we go hit the

00:15 floor, see what's up.

00:18 Hi, my name's Corey, I appreciate you taking a little time with us on the floor here at

00:26 CSUN and I will be honest this is a new one for us, it's called Glidance, right?

00:32 Correct. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

00:35 Yeah, Glidance is a self-guided mobility aid. It has two wheels that can brake and

00:39 steer, has radar in the base and also has a camera that uses machine learning to be

00:44 able to detect objects and guide you down a safe path. So would you say is it

00:51 used in conjunction with any other mobility aids? Is it a replacement for a

00:56 traditional white cane? What's kind of your aim for this product?

01:01 Sure, we're designing it as a primary mobility aid so it could be used in

01:05 place. We understand a lot of people might still want to use the other

01:08 options but there's a lot of people out there that don't have proficiency with

01:11 cane or don't have the guide dog and we're trying to use this as a way to get

01:16 them out and about using technology. And what would you say is sort of like both

01:21 the coverage from like floor up, how far up is it detecting and then also how far

01:27 in front would you expect to be kind of alerted that there is something going on?

01:33 Great question. Our radar can see about 30 meters. We also have one pointing up

01:38 for overhead detection so we don't get hit with tree branches or things like

01:41 that going down the sidewalk. And is there some kind of alert that's allowing you

01:47 to know that hey this is steps down versus a something above your head?

01:53 Is there some kind of alert pattern that you're using to let people know

01:57 what to expect in front of them? Yes, so the camera is able to do object

02:01 identification so as you approach something like a staircase it could let

02:05 you know that you're approaching the stairs. It can count the number of stairs that you're going to go over and then tell you which side the handrail is at.

02:13 And is that communicated through like an earpiece you're wearing or some kind of speaker through the handle?

02:18 There's a speaker in the handle here. It can also connect to Bluetooth for a headset.

02:24 And is this currently on the market or still a prototype?

02:28 It is not. We are prototyping and we're here at CSUN to get lots of feedback.

02:32 And we're aiming for a launch of the commercial device sometime mid next year.

02:36 Any idea on price? I got to imagine no, but a ballpark you're hoping for?

02:42 We're really trying to make it super affordable and by that we're targeting a price similar to owning a smartphone.

02:47 Okay, wow very cool. And where could people go if they wanted to learn more about the product and check its status?

02:53 Yeah, go to our website, Glidance.io. Awesome, I appreciate your time. Thank you so much Cory.

02:59 So here we have the Cloverbook XL. This is a foldable electronic magnifier.

03:07 We've done a video on the Cloverbook before, but this one is extra large now and it is also pro.

03:13 So looking at the screens here, we have larger screens. I'm not exactly sure how large that screen is,

03:18 but I'm going to guess it's about 12 inches, something like that.

03:20 And this lower screen here can be either folded up against the base or we can raise it for better ergonomics.

03:27 So you can really have it nicely positioned right in front of you and not have to crank your neck.

03:31 And behind there we can see a second screen. This is an optional screen that you can connect to the base.

03:36 And then you can do a split screen distance and the magnification.

03:40 The controls on the front are the same as the other Cloverbook videos,

03:43 so you can check those out if you want to figure out what those controls do.

03:47 And we also have the same distance camera here, which the other Cloverbook has.

03:51 So it looks like a very similar unit to the other Cloverbook, but with larger screens and with this new positionable bottom screen.

03:57 Very good for students and also if you are a working professional.

04:02 We have quite a few things. The Stellar Trek just got a new AI update.

04:06 We added crosswalk detection to the Stellar Trek.

04:11 And it's very cool. Not that we need to know where the crosswalks are,

04:14 though sometimes we're unsure of where they might be. We're on a blended curve.

04:17 What it does though is you hold the device in front of you as you cross a street,

04:21 and it keeps you within the bounds of the crosswalk.

04:24 So if you have an angled intersection, it's really an anti-veer sort of feature to keep you on the straight and narrow.

04:30 So it clicks. There's rapid clicks when you're in.

04:34 If you start to drift, it will say move to the right, move to the left, right, to keep you within bounds of that intersection.

04:39 So that's a really neat update. We're working on the pedestrian detection modes.

04:47 And also all of this is done on board, so we're not sending things up in the cloud.

04:51 So it's housed on the device, which is pretty cool.

04:54 We have the Braille displays. We certainly have a VI-20. We have a VI-40.

05:00 The VI-20 and 40X are here. We just released an update that has terminal only mode.

05:04 So if somebody doesn't want all those internal features, they can lock the device just between.

05:09 I'm just using it with JAWS, and I don't want to leave. It's a lot easier to set up.

05:13 So we have that. Victorator Stream, we're working on and are close to some audible support.

05:20 Hopefully that will be coming pretty soon. That's been asked for a lot by some passionate users.

05:28 Did the second gen Victorator?

05:31 Yes, it did, right?

05:32 It does. It works with Audible Sync, and that's exactly what we're going to do with the third gen.

05:36 So Audible Sync is what you use to move your content back and forth.

05:42 But we're always kind of looking at new things.

05:47 We do have the Odyssey Reader here, which has some AI ability to translate documents on the fly.

05:53 It's pretty cool.

05:55 We got a little demo yesterday on our live stream.

05:59 We had a little demo of the coffee bot reader.

06:03 The coffee can.

06:05 But yeah, it was mentioned there was a manual mode.

06:09 There will be a mode where you'll be able to read a document in Spanish and translate it to English.

06:15 Some of that stuff, I mean, AI is the buzzword right now.

06:20 I think we're seeing a lot of movement there.

06:22 We definitely have our hands on a lot of things behind the scenes.

06:25 We're trying to figure out a lot of new AI implementations and working with different partners to do lots of new products and lots of AI.

06:34 So there will be a lot of news from here, not just Monarch related, as we go through 2024.

06:39 We were in a session yesterday about the future of AI, and they made a comment that at first we kind of shook our heads about.

06:49 And then as I thought more about it, it was this comment about will traditional screen reading technology/skills be as necessary with AI?

06:59 The whole game is going to change.

07:01 And you see this with the way that AI reads the restaurant menu.

07:04 If you imagine that being a website, think of how much more fluid your experience can be by going to a website and the focus is automatically kind of provided to you.

07:14 Or it knows your habits.

07:15 It's like, oh, you're probably looking to log in, right?

07:17 Every time you look at a menu, you always go to the chicken.

07:20 You always go to the fries.

07:21 And this menu has fries.

07:23 And it has sweet potato fries.

07:26 And it has waffle fries.

07:28 And it has curly fries.

07:30 And it has cottage fries.

07:33 And it has Belgian fries.

07:35 And it has fire fries.

07:37 And it -- I'm done.

07:39 But, you know, it's funny, though, because it really could change, and we're going to see that.

07:44 And I believe we've already kind of seen it with palatation menus.

07:47 And you say, you know, show me the, you know, the sidebar or whatever, or read me the, I don't know, the article or whatever it is.

07:55 You'll be able to do that on websites.

07:57 And screen readers are going to be great for sure.

08:00 And to something that will be way more dynamic than what it is today.

08:04 One of the things --

08:05 And it's just really, really exciting.

08:06 One of the examples I was talking to Luke about is that I get a lot --

08:10 Do you talk to Luke much?

08:11 Not too much.

08:12 When I'm forced to, but when I do.

08:14 One of the things -- I get on a monthly basis, I get these complicated spreadsheets from our finance department.

08:22 And they're all called green, red, and all the departments.

08:26 And they're just -- it takes me forever to kind of figure out the format.

08:31 And just the idea of having -- just say to AI, give me a summary of this spreadsheet.

08:35 And it telling me what the department is and what's at a loss, what's at a gain.

08:40 What's really cool to me, taking it a step further even, is imagine you're in a meeting.

08:44 And you have to do this.

08:45 Someone says, oh, you know, it's a flow chart.

08:47 And you look at all the red.

08:48 Instead of saying AI, blah, blah, blah, you can type into your Braille display that's on your lap, what are the red cells?

08:54 Or let's focus on this region.

08:56 And you're going to get all this info without even needing to ask it.

08:59 You're typing to it.

09:00 You're communicating with it silently.

09:01 Or you're wearing smart glasses that do it for you.

09:04 You know, and process.

09:06 There is so much good that will come.

09:10 I think it's going to allow people who are blind and visually impaired to actually --

09:14 It could be a focus.

09:15 Well, then, and to actually focus on their job, what they are skilled and good at, versus saying, okay, I'm an accountant,

09:24 but I also have to be a computer expert to be able to use JAWS in a way.

09:28 They won't have to worry about that.

09:29 To extract all that information, layers and layers and layers of commands.

09:33 Instead of just -- for everyone else, they just look at it and they get what they need.

09:37 Exactly.

09:38 They don't have to be a computer expert in order to get the information.

09:40 It's so true.

09:42 And I could not be more fired up for a lot of it.

09:45 And it's neat, obviously, to be on this side, because I do get to play with things and try things.

09:51 We do have a couple of people at HumanWare who have very French-sounding names who work on AI.

09:58 And it's been very cool to watch what they've been able to do with some of the models and some of the machine learning.

10:05 It's neat.

10:07 So, yeah, we're always looking at that, and I'm sure you'll hear some new stuff from us.

10:13 I could see the stellar -- I mean, it's already benefiting with the cross-web protection.

10:18 I mean, it could go on a lot further.

10:21 And that's our goal.

10:22 And then to do it -- right now, so much of that is processed in the cloud.

10:26 We want to work on getting it to process on board.

10:29 Speed that up and make that more natural so you're not always sharing all this stuff when you don't need to.

10:34 We stopped over at the Blindshell booth, and we were told that Diane is a famous rock star, that you have a huge following.

10:44 So, A, we want to learn about that, but we also wanted to stop by and see what's new with Blindshell.

10:49 So, hoping maybe you can tell us what's going on.

10:51 Sure.

10:52 And for those who don't know, the Blindshell Classic 2 is an accessible cell phone with actual tactile buttons, and everything is spoken.

10:59 So, we're not just going to hand you a flat piece of glass and say, "Oh, make a phone call."

11:04 Yeah, so the Blindshell Classic 2, we continue to add applications to our platform all the time.

11:12 So, our latest is Envision AI.

11:15 So, with that, you can scan your mail, you can read a document, you can identify colors, you can identify objects, and you can teach the phone to recognize people.

11:28 We also recently added Be My AI.

11:32 So, now you have that function where you can not just call a volunteer, but you can snap a picture and have AI describe it.

11:41 It's excellent.

11:42 I use it all the time.

11:44 It's a great app, especially when you want to match your clothes or find out if you have a stain on your clothes.

11:50 It's a terrific app.

11:51 We also recently added Script Talk, and Script Talk will allow you to read the labels that your pharmacist will give you for your medication.

12:00 You can do a quick scan to say, "Okay, what is this?"

12:03 Or you can do a full scan where it will tell you how to take it, what the side effects are, and who prescribed it, when you have to renew it.

12:12 So, those are our three latest applications that we added to the Blindshell Classic 2.

12:17 One of the things I've always loved about the Blindshell, especially the Classic 2, is that I think it's one of those phones that can be as simple or as complex as you choose to make it.

12:28 I've worked with clients who just strictly want to make and receive calls and do it with an accessible phone, with an accessible contact list.

12:35 And then I've had those who want to dive into the YouTube app, the BARD Express app, now the addition of Be My AI that you're talking about.

12:43 That's what I think is so cool about the Blindshell Classic 2, is that you get that ability to really make the phone as simple or as complex as you want it to be.

12:52 Yeah, absolutely. The phone will grow with the person, because I'll get that all the time.

12:57 I just want a phone where I can make a phone call.

13:00 So, they do that, and they're happy.

13:04 I'd say within a month or so, I'm getting emails from them with YouTube attachments, or, "Oh, you've got to check out this podcast that I was watching."

13:14 And it's really exciting for me to see how they are growing with the phone and how the phone is growing with them.

13:22 So, we did produce a video, and hopefully Jonathan will pop a card up above us right now, but it was, I think, nine and three-quarter things you can do with your Blindshell Classic 2.

13:32 Yeah, it was pretty fun.

13:34 So, we're not great with numbers when it comes to numbering lists like that, but check out that video.

13:39 It gives you a good example, a little dated now, but it still gives a great example of what the Classic 2 really is altogether.

13:48 Oh, yeah. We also need to hear about the 101.

13:50 Before I wrap up, we want to find out about this rock star status you've got. Where can we find you? It sounds like on a weekly basis, but where can we find you?

13:59 So, on ACB Community Events, you can send them an email at community@acb.org so that you can subscribe.

14:09 They'll send you an email every day, but we're Mondays at 1 p.m. Eastern.

14:14 It's called Blindshell 101, where I will start by describing a feature of the Blindshell, and then the rest of the time, we take questions and answers.

14:24 That's awesome.

14:25 I've got to give a selfish plug, but if anyone's interested in purchasing Blindshell Vision Forward, it is a reseller of the device.

14:33 You can head over to vision-forward.org and make a purchase.

14:37 So, we are here at CSUN 2024, and one thing we had to do is stop by the actual CSUN booth.

14:47 We're going to talk with Ivan, and you're going to tell us why we should go through the Master's program.

14:53 Now, Luke is behind the camera right now, and we know that Luke just told us that he got the Master's program, or got the degree,

15:00 and I was saying that maybe he isn't the prime example.

15:02 So, you should tell us why someone should come through the program.

15:06 My name is Yvonne Carrillo, Program Manager at CSUN for the Assistive Technology and Human Services program.

15:14 Although, I would disagree, and I would say that our students, or our graduates, are our best recruiters.

15:22 Yes. So, our Assistive Technology program is about a year and a half long.

15:28 It is $25,000 for the full program.

15:33 It is taught by field instructors, also by faculty that are very experienced with AT.

15:44 It is, what else can I tell you, cohort-based.

15:49 We admit about 25 to 30 students.

15:53 It is fully online, and that's a huge one, too.

15:57 It is geared towards working professionals, so most of our courses are in the evenings.

16:04 They're pre-recorded.

16:06 We have a live lecture, and then you can also go back and review the course after, which is also a huge plus.

16:15 You have a group of faculty that's there to support you, as well as an admin team, that's me,

16:24 that helps you with enrollment, financial aid, distance learning.

16:30 So, you're never there by yourself.

16:32 Even though it's an online program, it has a lot of support.

16:38 We're a non-profit located in Milwaukee, and we serve specifically people who are blind and visually impaired,

16:45 but your master's program is across all domains of disabilities, right?

16:51 You're covering Assistive Technology specific to not just one group, not just one disability group, correct?

16:59 Correct, yes. You're right.

17:02 Very cool. And if people are interested, obviously they are interested after your commercial,

17:07 where should they head to to get either more information or even start the process of applying?

17:13 Well, they can go to CSUN.edu and look for ATHS, or they can email me at Yvonne Carrillo.

17:23 Yvonne.Carrillo@csun.edu. That's Yvonne.Carrillo@csun.edu.

17:33 Awesome. And just as a quick side question, years and years and years ago, I completed the ATACP through CSUN.

17:42 Is that a certificate program that you guys are still offering?

17:45 I mean, I know that was separate from the master's program. I was just curious if that was still something you were doing.

17:52 We do. So the ATACP is a certificate program. It's non-credit. It's about 16 weeks long.

18:00 Still offered on campus and online. However, it's not offered through my office.

18:06 So I can't give you the exact details on the price or anything else. But it's the very basics of AT.

18:15 That sounds like fun.

18:16 Yeah. But if you want to take a deep dive, you can always join us for the master's program.

18:22 Someday I will be able to do what Luke did. Just not yet.

18:28 Thanks for your time.

18:29 You're very welcome.

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