Braille

I started this blog wanting to post about cool inventions I find. Well, I guess it's become more than that. I've begun posting about ways that we adapt. My first post like this was about the mouse for your foot for those who can't use their hands or arms. I hope to keep posting things like this, because they are cool.  But, more than that, they show that we care about people with disabilities.

This is the DrawBraille Mobile Phone. It was designed by Sheffield Hallam University student Shikun Sun. This phone was designed for the visually impaired. It has a braille board and finger pads. The first rows is made up of braille buttons while the other side is sort of like a touchscreen. Battery life can be read by the row on the side of the phone.

Georgia Institute of Technology developed an app that brings Braille to a smartphone. It's called the Brailletouch app and consists of six-key keyboard. Typing on the keyboard is almost like using a Braille keyboard. 

Baby Monitor

I'm personally pretty excited about this gadget because I feel like I might need it soon. No, not for myself, but for my sister. My sister got married in October, so I fear sometime in my near future I'm going to be an Aunt. What a scary thought!

This is a baby monitor for the iPhone. Withings, a French company developed this gadget to help parents keep an eye on their baby. The white device pictured above is a monitor. It has a 3 megapixel camera. The camera can switch to infrared LED in a dim light, be zoomed in, and can will alert parents to room temperature and humidity changes. 

Self Healing

If you were wondering how my second phone fared after I killed the first one, this post will probably clue you in. I'm a klutz, what can I say?

Nissan has developed a new coating that is scratch resistant. They've created the first self-healing iPhone case.  The paint is made of polyrotaxane which can stretch itself to fill gaps. It takes anywhere from an hour to a week for the case to heal itself. The surface is gel-like which makes it easier to grip and reduces the chances of dropping the phone. Originally, the Scratch Shield paint was developed for cars, but this new case is the first of many new uses for the substance.