Here’s A Robot That Can Roll Up And Down Stairs (Cool Weird Awesome 1116)
Today we’re looking at a robot that’s moving up in the world, because this robot, known as the Ascento Pro, can climb stairs.
These Smart Glasses Can Describe The World For Blind Wearers (Cool Weird Awesome 772)
A company called Envision has designed a set of glasses that uses artificial intelligence to help blind people with a wide range of activities. They can decode text, detect color and describe outdoor scenes to the wearer, among many other functions.
High Jumper Dick Fosbury’s Biggest Win Was Also A Flop (Cool Weird Awesome 638)
Today in 1968, a high jumper from Oregon, Dick Fosbury, changed his sport forever by winning gold with an unusual jumping motion now known as the Fosbury Flop.
Happy Birthday To Closed Captioned Television (Cool Weird Awesome 497)
Today in 1980, the big U.S. TV networks began regularly using closed caption technology to serve Deaf viewers as well as hearing ones. That alone was a game-changer, but closed captioning has proven useful in some other big ways as well. Plus: in Russia, fans of a certain TV show set in a galaxy far, far away have built a replica of a certain ship that's home to a certain adorable baby puppet.
“Say My Meme” Is The Podcast That Makes Memes More Inclusive (Cool Weird Awesome 492)
The internet and social media don't do a great job making the very visual world of meme culture accessible to blind users. The new podcast Say My Meme describes those memes so everyone can enjoy them.
A Brain Implant That Can Bypass A Damaged Eye And Send Images To The Mind (Cool Weird Awesome 244)
The technology I like best is the technology that helps people do what they couldn’t do before, like a new brain implant that can put images from a camera in front of blind people.
Museums Are Helping Color-Blind Art Lovers See The Whole Spectrum (Cool Weird Awesome 195)
An increasing number of museums are offering EnChroma corrective glasses to visitors with color blindness, to bring more color to the world of art and those who enjoy it. Plus: a museum in London is exhibiting a disposable cup from 3,500 years ago, proving that from our earliest times, we’ve been trying to avoid doing the dishes.
Bah Gawd It’s A Smart Cane (Cool Weird Awesome 132)
The weWALK is a smart cane for blind pedestrians, with ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles ahead and Google Maps connections to navigate through and describe the surrounding area.