By Mark Dreger
Volunteers and student engineers gathered at UBCO campus Saturday to help build LipSync, an affordable mouth-operated controller designed to help quadriplegic men and women navigate computers and smartphones.
香蕉视频直播淚t really means a lot to me and the community,香蕉视频直播� said Ean Price, an Okanagan resident that has been using the device on his wheelchair for the last few months. 香蕉视频直播淭hese devices are going to help a lot of people around here.香蕉视频直播�
Price has suffered since birth from muscular dystrophy , a degenerative disorder that slowly weakens muscles over time. Diagnosed at 10 months old, Price sat in his first wheelchair at three or four-years-old and now after 30 years has been upgrading chairs as the ability to move has gotten increasingly worse.
香蕉视频直播淲e do have a fairly large disabled community and a lot of people, even that I know in wheelchairs that could use this, don香蕉视频直播檛 know about it. They haven香蕉视频直播檛 heard about it,香蕉视频直播� said Price.
香蕉视频直播淭his is really good to open people香蕉视频直播檚 minds and show people that there is a device out there that will allow them to continue on in life and it香蕉视频直播檚 great for me to watch somebody use the device for the first time and go, 香蕉视频直播榟oly crap, now I can text again.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈
Over a dozen students and volunteers took part at UBCO to learn how to solder and assemble the device. Once ready, participants started building devices to be given to those in need.
Prashi, a second-year engineering student at UBCO, took part in the volunteer build to help make life easier for those that will use the LipSync.
香蕉视频直播淧ersonally, I香蕉视频直播檓 happy to know that I香蕉视频直播檓 helping someone香蕉视频直播檚 life be much more easy on them, to say the least,香蕉视频直播� Prashi said. 香蕉视频直播淚 understand that there香蕉视频直播檚 a lot of people who do not have the opportunity to live out basic lifestyles like we can and knowing that I can contribute to their lifestyle and make it a lot better for them and make it a lot easier for them just makes me know that this effort is worth doing.香蕉视频直播�
When you gain a small amount back, it香蕉视频直播檚 like climbing Mt. Everest, said one volunteer.
香蕉视频直播淎nd it is so fulfilling and so joyful to a person who香蕉视频直播檚 had so much lost that it香蕉视频直播檚 just a very important thing to help people get this independence back,香蕉视频直播� said Lynne Taylor, who took part in the event after her son became a quadriplegic after a car accident.
The Neil Squire Society, the non-profit releasing the LipSync, helped Taylor香蕉视频直播檚 son use head control technology so he could operate keyboards and TVs again to get back in touch with the world.
香蕉视频直播淲hen you香蕉视频直播檙e injured, you lose so much and it香蕉视频直播檚 really wonderful to do something normal again,香蕉视频直播� Taylor said. 香蕉视频直播淪o because Neil Squire had helped us, I wanted to give back to the society by coming and doing this.香蕉视频直播�
Technology has allowed Price to stay one step ahead of his disorder, but moving on to new technologies has been a common occurrence, from using a mouse to voice recognition.
香蕉视频直播淚 woke up one day and wasn香蕉视频直播檛 able to use a track ball,香蕉视频直播� Price said, 香蕉视频直播渨hich I香蕉视频直播檝e been using for probably seven or eight years, and so immediately I had to find a way to adapt and luckily there香蕉视频直播檚 a lot of technology out there so I was able to find a touchpad, but over the years it has become harder for me to move my thumbs and so now this [LipSync] is the next step.香蕉视频直播�
According to the Neil Squire Society website, an estimated 1,000,000 people in Canada and the United States have limited or no use of their arms. Devices similar to the LipSync are so expensive that the average person who needs one wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 be able to afford it, but LipSync has created their open source project to allow quadriplegics to use the new technology for less than $300.
The Neil Squire Society has a list of 300 people who require LipSyncs internationally.
香蕉视频直播淭o be able to operate a computer again is mind blowing; it really opens your world up,香蕉视频直播� Price said. 香蕉视频直播淎nd not just the computer but even a tablet or a smartphone, so you can type, you can text, you can do everything that I used to be able to do.香蕉视频直播�
