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Your weekly dose of information that keeps you up to date on the latest developments in the field of technology designed to assist people with disabilities and special needs.
Show Notes:
RoboHands with Ty Esham | http://robohandus.com/ | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvev6shNvSg | http://www.webmd.com/news/breaking-news/20140723/3d-printing |
“Bob Heil To Receive Honorary Doctorate From University of Missouri” http://buff.ly/1wCH4Jf
How Does Braille Work? What It’s Like to Be a Braille Reader, and the People Who Make It Easy | Bustle http://buff.ly/1AVsRX0
We’re Doing Autism Research All Wrong | MIT Technology Review http://buff.ly/1AVsvja
4 pro tips to maximise responsive accessibility | Web design | Creative Bloq http://buff.ly/1zZBy4r
Advancement in Accessibility Awards Nominations http://buff.ly/1sTrm75
Ralph Braun Foundation with Andrea Vrobel | ralphbraunfoundation.org/
App: NPR for iPad www.BridgingApps.org
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TY ESHAM: hi, I’m Ty Esham with Robo Hands USA, and this is your assistive technology update.
WADE WINGLER: Hi, this is Wade Wingler with the INDATA Project at Easter Seals Crossroads in Indiana with your Assistive Technology Update, a weekly dose of information that keeps you up-to-date on the latest developments in the field of technology designed to assist people with disabilities and special needs.
Welcome to episode number 187 of assistive technology update. It’s the last episode of the year 2014 and is scheduled to be released on December 26.
Today my guest is Ty Esham who is with Robo Hands USA and is basically 3-D printing prosthetics hands. Very fascinating stuff.
We talk a little bit about braille, autism research, some tips on making your responsive website not only responsive but more accessible. Some information from the FCC about some awards that are available. A quick studio drop in by Andrea Vrobel from the Ralph Braun foundation. And an app review from BridgingApps about NPR for the iPad.
We hope you’ll check out our website at www.eastersealstech.com. Give us a call on our listener line at 317-721-7124. Or drop us a note on Twitter at INDATA Project.
I have to admit that one of my favorite interviews on the show so far has been with Bob Heil who is the only non-musician inducted into the rock ‘n roll Hall of Fame. Just recently, the University of Missouri has bestowed an honorary doctorate on Bob. He also spoke at the commencement ceremony in December. I’m going to pop a link in the show notes where you can drop a note of congratulations over to Dr. Bob Heil. Congratulations, Bob.
I love it when mainstream news sources talk about disability issues and assistive technology. Bustle.com is all about entertainment, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. But they did a nice overview article of braille for people who are very familiar. It talks about the technology, industry, even shows a braille alphabet and talks about the importance of accessible signage and braille literacy. If you want to see what the mainstream is thinking about and talking about braille, at least from the perspective of Bustle.com, check our show notes. I’ll have a link there.
I was recently doing a little leisure reading and ran across this headline. It says, “Fixing autism research: we need to come to grips with what autism really is.” This is an opinion piece written by John Elder Robison who is a professor at the College of William and Mary, and he wrote a book called look me in the eye. He basically is talking about the fact that a lot of research is being done around autism and is focusing on a cure. His recommendation is that we accept people who have autism is just being neurologically different rather than thinking of them as sick. The research goals shouldn’t be about find a cure but about achieving the best quality of life. Some of the things that he suggests in his article is remediating the conditions that accompany autism like anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, internal distress or those sorts of things. He also talks about helping people with autism learn to organize and manage the lives and the schedules and regulate themselves when sensory overload is an issue. He talks about technology quite a bit and engineering solutions that might be useful for folks with autism. And he talks about the fact that people who have autism and have challenges with cognitive and functional challenges, it’s our duty to help make their lives better through applied technology. It’s an opinion based article but I think it’s an interesting one and I’m going to pop a link in the show notes where you can read his article inform your opinion about whether or not we are doing autism research wrong.
Derek Featherstone is an internationally recognized expert when it comes to web accessibility. Not too long ago, he did a blog post called, “For tips to maximize responsive accessibility.” Everybody is talking about the fact that websites need to be made responses, the fact that the same website might need to render differently on a desktop computer versus a laptop or tablet or even a smart phone. However, one of the things that Derek talks about is that there are some things to think about with accessibility when you’re making a responsive website. The first thing he says is you need to test with real devices. You need to use tablets. You need to figure out how assistive technology works on these devices so when you are designing responsive websites I need to be accessible. He talks about the lost focus syndrome where you might be using a screen reader on a mobile phone or tablets and when you’re using your screen reader like voice over to look down through the screen, and then you rotate your device, the focus, the cursor, may no longer be on the screen. It may get lost off the screen so you need to be thinking about that. He also suggests that you mind the overlap. You think about the fact that sometimes graphics or links or other pieces of content they overlap one another when you’re using responsive design. The last thing he talks about is considering the viewport size. And 800×600 pixel screen may mean that the user is using a tablet computing device but it may be just me that they have the resolution cranked up on a desktop computer due to low vision or some other assistive purpose. There are some pretty good technical information here and some pretty good tips here from Derek Featherstone about how to make a responsive website more accessible. I’ll pop a link in the show notes. It’s been a very popular Tweet this week and I’ll make sure that everybody gets a chance to check that out.
I’m looking at a public notice here from the FCC. It’s is that they are seeking nominations for the third annual Chairman’s Award for Advancements in Accessibility, or the Chairman’s triple-A awards. These award nominations are going to be available from January 5 through March 5 for products services, technologies, or practices that were introduced in the 2014 calendar year. They are focusing on the following areas: CAPTCHA alternatives, the internet of things, wearable devices, realtime text, teleconferencing, video description, augmented reality, or miscellaneous. This public notice goes through a lot of detailed and explains each category and the things that they are looking for. It’s available to organizations, individuals, schools, companies, or government agencies who have done meaningful work in this area. It looks like it’s an email nomination system. I’m going to pop a link in the show notes and if you know of somebody or you are somebody who’s done a lot of work in a serious of accessibility, consider limiting them. Recognize their efforts. I’ll stick a link in the show notes.
So I’m at work today and my good friend Andrea Vrobal who I’ve worked with for years popped in. Andrea is somebody that I have known as an expert in the field of adaptive driving for years, but now she has a new role with the Braun Foundation. I said where you jump in the studio real quick and let’s talk about what’s going on. Andrea, how are you today?
ANDREA VROBEL: I’m great, Wade, how are you?
WADE WINGLER: I’m doing well. Thanks for taking a minute and stopping and to talk with us. What’s going on with this role that you have?
ANDREA VROBEL: I’m very excited to say that I am now the executive director for the Ralph Braun Foundation work we provide services to individuals throughout the continental United States and Canada. Our mission is to assist those with mobility needs through education, information, and product acquisition. In a nutshell, we provide grants to individuals to assist in bridging the funding gap to purchase transportation mobility products. As long as it is any industry-approved product sold through an industry-approved dealer, we will provide funding for that period our current program covers up to 25% of the cost of the mobility product with a cap of $5000. We are unfortunately unable to provide any assistance to the chassis or the actual vehicle purchase, but any of the adaptive products needed. For example, that would be conversion to a van, wheelchair scooter lifts, transfer seats, driving aids.
WADE WINGLER: So as we revisiting and you were explaining the program to me, first of all it was exciting and really cool that this is available. I have been to the Braun factory and met some folks up there and I know that Ralph Braun has been thought of as a sterling member of this community for years. Now that he is past, this is a great legacy for folks to remember Ralph. I was excited to know that when people are dealing with adaptive mobility, maybe a van that supports the chair or adaptive hand controls, a lot of times there is a mix of funding and there are little gaps that show up here and there when people try to get the stuff paid for. It sounds like in many cases this might be an option to bridge some of those gaps.
ANDREA VROBEL: Exactly. For example, there are some funding sources through various states such as vocational rehabilitation services, the VA, some Medicaid waiver programs, but Medicare, Medicaid, none of the healthcare insurance programs will pay towards any transportation mobility products as they do not consider driving a medical necessity. So there are many folks who follow between the cracks. They don’t necessarily qualify for vocational rehabilitation services. Perhaps they are not veterans or serviceman.
WADE WINGLER: that’s one of those complicated situations. There’s a lot going on there. I guess the good news is regardless, there may be an opportunity there. And if people want to learn more, they can visit your website, right? They can have over to ralphbraunfoundation.org. They can read lots of information there and I assume this contact information there too, so they have questions or need clarification about what this will or won’t provide, they can reach out to you guys, right?
ANDREA VROBEL: Absolutely.
WADE WINGLER: Excellent. Andrea, thank you for being here today. I’m going to encourage my listeners to hit their web browsers over to RalphBraunFoundation.org and check out this great opportunity.
ANDREA VROBEL: Thank you.
WADE WINGLER: Each week, one of our partners tells us what’s happening in the ever-changing world of apps, so here’s an app worth mentioning.
AMY BARRY: This is Amy Barry with BridgingApps, and this is an app worth mentioning. Today’s app is called NPR for iPad. The NPR for iPad app presents their award-winning storytelling as a seamless mix of audio, text, and images in a clean visual design. The app is user-friendly and popular with our older adult users. NPR is known for its diverse radio programs from All Things Considered to hourly news. The app is full of programs listed by title or topic. Read stories while listening to live stations or on-demand audio. The app allows the user to flip through three topics: news, arts and life, and music. All can be read off line so no Wi-Fi connection is necessary. An app features that appeal to older adults of the ability to increase the font size. If the user is home and want to listen to NPR, they can choose the hourly news or the famous NPR programs like All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, Fresh Air from WHYY and more.
Another handy feature is the ability to add stations by ZIP Code. This feature automatically add stations and nearby areas with the local news and recent podcasts. Many of the seniors we work with desire a radio app, and NPR is the most requested station. Our senior friends like having the option to read articles off-line when they are waiting for appointments. We also noticed many of the folks using the hourly news as background noise while surfing the Internet.
The NPR for iPad app is free at the iTunes Store. This app can be used on iOS devices. For more information on this app and others like it, visit BridgingApps.org.
WADE WINGLER: As I’m kind of surveying the horizon of assistive technology and the new developments in the field, I see a lot having to do with 3-D printing these days. I’ve always been interested in how people with physical disabilities or mobility impairments can be more independent. Recently I saw — must’ve been a Google alert or a Tweet or something came across my electronic desktop at told me about a product called Robo Hand. It’s an interesting combination of 3-D printing and orthopedic devices and people with disabilities becoming more independent. I was fascinated. So I reached out to Ty Esham who is an occupational therapist and the founder of Robo Hand USA. I am honored to have her via Skype today on the show.
Thank you so much for being on the show today. We are glad to have you.
TY ESHAM: Thanks, Wade, I’m happy to be here.
WADE WINGLER: I want to start off with a real simple, but obvious, question. What is a Robo Hand?
TY ESHAM: A Robo Hand is a device — in mechanical device so you don’t need batteries. You don’t need surgery. But we take the 3-D printer which is like a hot glue gun with a brain that spews out a little bit of plastic, builds it up, and makes a three-dimensional object. With my 3-D printer, I print articulating finger bits and brackets that will hold it on and wrist hinges. I mount those two custom-made thermoplastics that I put over people’s residual hand and their forearm. There are courts that run to the fingers down the back of the hand so when you bend your wrist, it activates the fingers and makes a grip.
WADE WINGLER: So I’m a child of the 80s and I’m immediately thinking of the vision of Robocop. Maybe that’s a play on words with the thing. But this really is sort of a custom exoskeleton that fits over the hand of somebody who has a disability and provides additional support. Is that fair to say?
TY ESHAM: Well, it’s not an exoskeleton as such because it’s for people that don’t have fingers. They have a little bit of a palm, and that little bit of a palm pushing on that custom-made hand bit that I make activates the 3-D printed fingers that I make. So it takes me that has the little palm and gives them some fingers.
WADE WINGLER: I see. So it’s more of a prosthetic device then.
TY ESHAM: Yeah, just 3-D printed.
WADE WINGLER: Excellence. Let me ask a question. You are an occupational therapist by training. How did you end up interested in Robo Hand and become involved?
TY ESHAM: I had a good friend several years ago that was all into 3-D printing and it was before you could buy them already made. You had to go to the hardware store, order bits off the Internet, and build your own. So I was helping with that and we were having a lot of fun doing that. I got introduced to the technology that way. I heard a story on public radio where a man had invented the Robo Hand using 3-D technology. I had been a hand therapist for 10 years so I just thought this is my two worlds colliding. I can help this man spread this technology, so I went to South Africa and studied with them and brought his design. He really stresses using stainless steel hardware so it’s robust and doesn’t break and he really make sure that we use thermoplastic custom bits so that they can be washed and cleaned and good hygiene. It’s good for your circulation and doesn’t cause skin irritations. I promised him I would keep the standards very very high and came back to the States to help people here.
WADE WINGLER: So wait a minute. This technology was born in South Africa?
TY ESHAM: It was a collaborated effort between Richard van As in South Africa and a man from the Western part of the US called Ivan Owens. They collaborated via Skype like we are now.
WADE WINGLER: That’s fascinating. The world gets smaller and smaller all the time. So tell me a little bit, we are talking about hands here primarily. Tell me a little bit about the kind of injuries or disabilities that are applicable for Robo Hand?
TY ESHAM: It’s for people with mainly amniotic band syndrome. People that were born with their hand undeveloped that might not have fingers. People that have had traumatic amputations of their fingers. I can customize them so that if you don’t have your fingers that you have a thumb, I can just put the finger bits on. So there’s some variability. Even have a design that can make the hand that works off your elbow if you are born without a wrist. I have one that will open and close with the mechanism that works off your elbow.
WADE WINGLER: Really? That’s fascinating. Tell me about the process. Somebody is interested in Robo Hand, they have an injury or disability that’s appropriate, how are these things made and how are they fitted and where are they made?
TY ESHAM: I make them in a little workshop here in Atlanta Georgia. They contact me by email for my website, from Robo Handsus.com. We talk and they can send me some pictures via dropbox. I look at them. Then we can talk on the phone, make sure everybody understands what to expect and what they want and that we are on the same page. If everything works out and they are appropriate, I have them a website instructions on how to make a cast of your arm. Have them send me a cast and I can make it here in Atlanta and then mail it back to them.
WADE WINGLER: So you’re doing this remotely so that people talk to you and you’re doing so your collaboration in an online sort of format, sending information over the Internet, but the result is they end up with the device shipped to them in a box?
TY ESHAM: Sure do.
WADE WINGLER: That’s amazing. Ty, let’s get into the nitty-gritty a little bit and the nuts and bolts about the materials and how they are made and what the process looks like. I know a 3-D printer is involved. And other some sort of plastic is a default. That fascinates me because we’re talking about low-cost and easier point of entry for people who are interested in this. Walk me through the process. Tell me about the materials.
TY ESHAM: We use PLA plastic for the pretty printed parts because it’s corn-based, so it’s not toxic. There is another kind of plastic that is called ABS, but it has a very strong odor and smell and I would not want that on a hand. So we opt for the PLA. You’re right. It’s very inexpensive to print these out. Then if you break a finger — one guy jumped off a high dive with his rubble hand on and hit the water and brought the hinges. We just printed him out two pair and doubled them up because he’s a bruiser. He plays cricket and stuff and catches cricket balls going 60 miles an hour with his Robo Hand.
WADE WINGLER: Wow.
TY ESHAM: They are great because they are relatively inexpensive to produce, and then if you break it [poor audio] we can take the thermoplastic bit and get that hot again and make it a little bigger. We can redo it so that keeps costs down. It’s just wonderful. They are put together with stainless steel hardware so they won’t rust. They are very robust. Because it’s stainless steel hardware, they can get wet and dirty and get in the water. Those nice prosthetic hands are very beautiful, but you can’t get them wet. You can’t get them dirty. That’s what hands do. They get wet and dirty. What do you use your hands for? Playing, digging, washing.
WADE WINGLER: So, Ty, how much does a Robo Hand cost?
TY ESHAM: For a basic Robo Hand where the person needs the four fingers and the thumb, it’s around $2000 for me to custom make you one. It takes about a week. Then if they have a thumb or a pinky or another finger that I have to integrate with the design, that’s a lot harder and those are around $3000. A Robo Arm that works at the elbow, I just have to see how long your arm is and how much of my ortho plastic I need to use. So those are between $4-6,000, which is great because if you have a nice, pretty, prosthetic hand if you can’t get wet and dirty, these inexpensive ones are great workhorse hands.
WADE WINGLER: That makes a lot of sense. Mechanically speaking, talk to me little bit about the kind of articulation in the hand and the difference between the Robo Hand and the Robo Arm in terms of functionality.
TY ESHAM: The Robo Hand works by pressing your palm against the palm of the “hand,” and then the “fingers” all snap down at the same time. You don’t have to press very hard. You just close down and when you relax, they spring back open. So they are all or nothing. They are good for gripping baseball bats, bicycle handles, carrying a bucket or something. But they don’t move each finger individually. They are all or nothing. In occupational therapy, we call that a gross grasp. They are as strong as you can push.
WADE WINGLER: Ty, I am assuming because you’re on occupational therapist that you are in this business for the people, for the effect that he make. Tell me a story or maybe two. Tell me a story about somebody’s life who’s been impacted by Robo hand.
TY ESHAM: My favorite lady is a lady here in Atlanta who was a schoolteacher and an art teacher. She lost her fingers due to a medical condition and she was just devastated because she couldn’t do her part anymore. She can’t hold the paint brush. Even teaching the kids, she had to wash out the bucket then cut clay and things like that. Those expensive hands can’t get wet. So she came to me and we made her a Robo Hand and she adores it. She rides her scooter with it. She works on the clay. She gets paint on it. She works in her garden with it. She had it for a week and we asked her to come in and I was being interviewed, and they wanted to talk to somebody that had one, so she volunteered to interview with me. She tore that hand up. She had stress tested it. It was nice. She said it’s been a big help. She’s very happy. She said at school, she was the coolest — the kids go crazy over it. They think that’s so cool.
WADE WINGLER: That’s one of the factors that we don’t always talk about with assistive technology, because some of the stuff it is really cool and that does matter. As you look into your crystal ball, what’s coming down the road for Robo Hand? What kind of things do you think might change or improve or how will technology impact what you’re doing?
TY ESHAM: Well, I know that open source technology that’s out there, people take the design and play with it, try new things, try it this way, try different material. I’m keeping up with all that and making sure that I’ve got the best, safest, most hygienic and strongest design going on out there. There’s always going to be new things coming down the pipe. Talking to some people about a mission trip, I guess in China there’s a lot of baby girls that were born without limbs or a cleft palate and such. This nonprofit is going to help them and they want to take the Robo Hands with them to help the baby girls who need hands. That’s very exciting. I talked to some children’s hospitals that have tried Robo Hand and they are in love with it. We’re looking at doing something with them. So there’s a lot of great stuff coming down the pipe.
WADE WINGLER: That’s excellent. Before we wrap up here, if someone was interested in Robo Hand, what would be your advice to them in terms of what to consider, what to be thinking about, and then how would they reach you?
TY ESHAM: They need to make sure they are appropriate, that they have enough palm where they could hold a back with a 2 inch strap and a couple of cans of food in it and then there is to be able to keep that back underhand. If they’ve got the strength than enough palm to do that, than they might be appropriate. They can always look at my website, robohandsus.com. There’s a toll-free number on their. They can call me. They can peruse the website and look at options and see about how to make a cast and get familiar with the process. They can always contact me and we will take it from their.
WADE WINGLER: Excellent. Ty Esham is an occupational therapist and the founder of Robo Hand USA. You can find her online at www.robohandsus.com. Ty, thank you so much for being on our show today.
TY ESHAM: Thank you. I enjoyed it.
WADE WINGLER: Do you have a question about assistive technology? Do you have a suggestion for someone we should interview on Assistive Technology Update? Call our listener line at 317-721-7124. Looking for show notes from today’s show? Head on over to EasterSealstech.com. Shoot us a note on Twitter @INDATAProject, or check us out on Facebook. That was your Assistance Technology Update. I’m Wade Wingler with the INDATA Project at Easter Seals Crossroads in Indiana.
