In a bid to make life better for the disabled folks, Sesame Enable has come up with a new touch-free smartphone.
Sesame Enable, an Israeli start-up, has built the world's first entirely hands-free smartphone for the disabled. The smartphone has been particularly designed for people with spinal cord injuries, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cerebral palsy or other disabilities that affect the use of limbs, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.
Called the Sesame, the handset is an Android smartphone that is equipped with proprietary head-tracking technology. There's an advanced computer vision algorithm inside, complimented by the phone's front-facing camera that tracks users' head movements and allows them to control a cursor on the screen.
The phone's cursor is essentially a virtual finger that allows users to do what others can with a regular smartphone. In fact, the $1,000-phone recently won a "Verizon Powerful Answers' Award" with $1 million in prize money. The $1,000 price tag is justified as it can help disabled people tremendously. It's already helping a little boy in Britain with muscular dystrophy.
Sesame developer Giora Livne, who himself is disabled, is now planning to give away about 30 Sesame smartphones to people with disabilities nominated by their peers. As mentioned earlier, the little boy from Britain is already among the five recipients of the phone, apart from a former Israeli soldier who was injured in 1976. Check out the video below for more information:
Interestingly, Livne came up with the idea of the complete hands-free handset after seeing a TV demonstration for a game controlled with head movements. "My life quality jumped from the Stone Age to the smartphone age," Livne said.
With a background in electrical engineering, Livne recognised the technology's potential in helping and others suffering from similar problems. He now regularly texts and sends WhatsApp messages to his friends and three children. Stay tuned for more updates!
