ROYA
(A Standalone smart watch designed for the blind)
Nowadays, Screens are the main method of interaction inside smart phones and watches. This method is very effective and beneficial as It displays all the necessary informations for the user to interact with seamlessly, However, people who lost their sense of sight would not be able to benefit from this method of interaction, this leads to enlarge their circle of social isolation. Roya is a smart watch which is designed for those who lost their sense of sight.
The smart watch uses voice commands and dynamic braille language surface as its main method of interaction, a blind person wearing the watch will be able to read the time alone by touching the front surface of the watch which is displayed in braille language using artificial muscles. He will be also able to answer and receive phone calls, use navigation systems, listen to received messages, listen to music or any other function that is already existed in the current smart phones or watches.
The solution in this project focuses on replacing the functions that the blind cant use due to his lost of sight and replacing it with creative ones that he can benefit from.
How it Works
Electro-active polymers, or EAPs, are polymers that exhibit a change in size or shape when stimulated by an electric field. The watch contains rows of electrodes on one side of an EAP film and columns on the other activate individual elements in the array. Each element is mounted with a Braille dot and is lowered by applying a voltage across the thickness of the selected element, causing local thickness reduction. Under computer control, dots would be activated to create tactile patterns of highs and lows representing the information to be read.
Activated dots represents time in braille language where the blind can read it, the basic numbers are constructed from four dots although the braille grid is six dots for any other character. These braille dots are positioned like the figure four on a die, in a grid of two parallel vertical lines of two dots each. From the four dots that make up the basic grid, 64 different configurations can be created. Braille numbers are three dimensional tactile that bumps on a the watch front surface to display time.
In addition to the voice commands, the watch has two main buttons to control it, the first one is on the upper right side, and the second one is on the left side. Continues click, double click or multiple continues clicks can give different commands. The left side of the watch has also an entrance to the sim card.
For the initial setup, connecting to wifi and controlling the settings, a simple led screen is located on the bottom of the watch, this allows the seller to setup the watch for the user, the screen can also be controlled by voice commands.
The Screen is covered with a thin layer of Durable water repellent to protect it from hand sweat. The software of the screen is simple and practical for usage, it displays one configuration option only at one time which makes it easier for the user to control.
Usage – Practicality
The user can start the watch by using the face recognition system. He needs to raising the holding hand of the watch towards the face and start giving voice commands, this process is very practical for blinds walking and holding their cane at the same time as they will not need to stop to use any button to start the process.
Usage – Making and Recieving Calls
The watch works also as a phone, it has an entrance for a sim card which allows the user to make and receive calls at any time.
Usage – Designed Virtual Assisstant
The installed virtual assistant software has been approved by google and targets the blind particularly. it allows the user to achieve any function through only voice commands. The watch works as a standalone product that covers all the user’s needs by combining all the needed smart technology in one product.
Research & Analysis
The process started by understanding the problem aspects and the target audience lifestyle.
Contact me for similar projects …