(no subject)
News Release
Monday, April 23, 2007
Chatty washer cleans up access to high-tech appliances
For the video, see
http://special.newsroom.msu.edu/washer/
EAST LANSING, Mich. - A smooth-talking washing machine may not be savvy
enough to keep a user from mixing whites and darks, but it can open doors
that the digital revolution has closed to the blind.
New generation appliances are sleek, high-tech - and incomprehensible if the
user can't see the dazzling array of LED displays.
But it's a problem that can be talked through, literally. A team of
engineering students at Michigan State University have figured out a way to
cheaply modify household appliances to be easily used by the blind or those
who have trouble seeing.
"One of the new trends in appliances is more buttons and lights, which is a
seemingly insurmountable challenge to those who can't see," said Stephen
Blosser, a specialist in MSU's Resource Center for Persons with
Disabilities. "If you can't see the buttons, you just guess. But we can fix
that."
Enter a senior-level electrical engineering class, in which student teams
are matched up with needs. The students were unleashed on the problem: Make
the washer accessible to the blind, make it sturdy enough to withstand the
spin cycle and cheap enough to be readily available.
Whirlpool donated a Duet washer, the cutting-edge model that boasts a bevy
of sleek buttons and lights.
The students immersed themselves in the demands of the microprocessor, and
figured out how to link up a voice prompter to the machine's existing LED
read outs. But the students quickly discovered that the success would be
found in simplicity.
"We figured out pretty quickly that the user isn't going to care about the
technology details," said Nathan Bedford, a computer engineering senior from
Southfield. "It's been really good to work with the consumers."
The washer clearly announces each function as it's selected, and can also
run through the full range of selections. Bedford supplied the voice, but
points out any voice - or any language - could easily be substituted.
The hardware costs about $30 in mass production on the washer, which retails
for about $1,300. The modifications barely change the machine's appearance.
Only a smattering of holes for a speaker, tiny Braille labels and a small
volume knob belie the hidden talents.
The machine was modified for Michael and Karla Hudson, both of whom are
blind, and admire the latest technology.
"My blind friends warned me about buying a new appliance, that it would be a
nightmare because it's getting harder to buy them with real knobs," Michael
Hudson said. "These modifications make it accessible to everybody."
The Hudsons are taking the talking washer home to test it out. Don Maynard,
Whirlpool global product manager, said the company is actively pursuing
several ways for people with a wide variety of abilities to interact with
their appliances. Currently, the MSU project is not on the market.
"We were thrilled with the work done so far," Maynard said. "It's going to
provide a great opportunity on campus for students and we learn from it as
well.
It was a fantastic effort and we're pleased we could participate."
Erik Goodman, a professor of electrical engineering who ran the course,
already is gearing up to start the next project: a dryer.
"People want to have better control of their appliances, and our students
learned a lot from this chance to attack a meaningful, real-world design
problem,"
Goodman said. "One lesson they carried away - that with the right design,
some products can be made more usable by many people without much additional
cost - is one we hope they will apply in their careers."
***
Thanks for pointing this out unbosomer
Now, if only they could tackle the entire laundry setup of a university residence! It's pretty near impossible to use those rooms where there's a digital screen on the wall, with a card swipe slot, and each washer and dryer is controlled from the screen. I wouldn't know which washer or dryer I'd put the clothes into, for one thing, in terms of its number on the display. Even braille labels on the invisible buttons wouldn't have helped if some prompt I wasn't accustomed to came up on the screen, I'd have to guess.
The trouble with stuff like this is that there's a fuss about it for a while, and then you never hear about it anymore. Talking ATMs were the big new thing a few years ago, but I've run into tons recently which just don't work. They're clearly meant to, they have a headphone jack, but all you get for the trouble of inserting headphones is a loud beap in your ear. So the next, and not so simple, step in this process is to indicate as blind consumers that we expect this sort of thing. I shouldn't get excited at the one ATM I encounter in a year that works properly, that should be a taken for granted part of my life.
But, at least they're still thinking about it...
Monday, April 23, 2007
Chatty washer cleans up access to high-tech appliances
For the video, see
http://special.newsroom.msu.edu/washer/
EAST LANSING, Mich. - A smooth-talking washing machine may not be savvy
enough to keep a user from mixing whites and darks, but it can open doors
that the digital revolution has closed to the blind.
New generation appliances are sleek, high-tech - and incomprehensible if the
user can't see the dazzling array of LED displays.
But it's a problem that can be talked through, literally. A team of
engineering students at Michigan State University have figured out a way to
cheaply modify household appliances to be easily used by the blind or those
who have trouble seeing.
"One of the new trends in appliances is more buttons and lights, which is a
seemingly insurmountable challenge to those who can't see," said Stephen
Blosser, a specialist in MSU's Resource Center for Persons with
Disabilities. "If you can't see the buttons, you just guess. But we can fix
that."
Enter a senior-level electrical engineering class, in which student teams
are matched up with needs. The students were unleashed on the problem: Make
the washer accessible to the blind, make it sturdy enough to withstand the
spin cycle and cheap enough to be readily available.
Whirlpool donated a Duet washer, the cutting-edge model that boasts a bevy
of sleek buttons and lights.
The students immersed themselves in the demands of the microprocessor, and
figured out how to link up a voice prompter to the machine's existing LED
read outs. But the students quickly discovered that the success would be
found in simplicity.
"We figured out pretty quickly that the user isn't going to care about the
technology details," said Nathan Bedford, a computer engineering senior from
Southfield. "It's been really good to work with the consumers."
The washer clearly announces each function as it's selected, and can also
run through the full range of selections. Bedford supplied the voice, but
points out any voice - or any language - could easily be substituted.
The hardware costs about $30 in mass production on the washer, which retails
for about $1,300. The modifications barely change the machine's appearance.
Only a smattering of holes for a speaker, tiny Braille labels and a small
volume knob belie the hidden talents.
The machine was modified for Michael and Karla Hudson, both of whom are
blind, and admire the latest technology.
"My blind friends warned me about buying a new appliance, that it would be a
nightmare because it's getting harder to buy them with real knobs," Michael
Hudson said. "These modifications make it accessible to everybody."
The Hudsons are taking the talking washer home to test it out. Don Maynard,
Whirlpool global product manager, said the company is actively pursuing
several ways for people with a wide variety of abilities to interact with
their appliances. Currently, the MSU project is not on the market.
"We were thrilled with the work done so far," Maynard said. "It's going to
provide a great opportunity on campus for students and we learn from it as
well.
It was a fantastic effort and we're pleased we could participate."
Erik Goodman, a professor of electrical engineering who ran the course,
already is gearing up to start the next project: a dryer.
"People want to have better control of their appliances, and our students
learned a lot from this chance to attack a meaningful, real-world design
problem,"
Goodman said. "One lesson they carried away - that with the right design,
some products can be made more usable by many people without much additional
cost - is one we hope they will apply in their careers."
***
Thanks for pointing this out unbosomer
Now, if only they could tackle the entire laundry setup of a university residence! It's pretty near impossible to use those rooms where there's a digital screen on the wall, with a card swipe slot, and each washer and dryer is controlled from the screen. I wouldn't know which washer or dryer I'd put the clothes into, for one thing, in terms of its number on the display. Even braille labels on the invisible buttons wouldn't have helped if some prompt I wasn't accustomed to came up on the screen, I'd have to guess.
The trouble with stuff like this is that there's a fuss about it for a while, and then you never hear about it anymore. Talking ATMs were the big new thing a few years ago, but I've run into tons recently which just don't work. They're clearly meant to, they have a headphone jack, but all you get for the trouble of inserting headphones is a loud beap in your ear. So the next, and not so simple, step in this process is to indicate as blind consumers that we expect this sort of thing. I shouldn't get excited at the one ATM I encounter in a year that works properly, that should be a taken for granted part of my life.
But, at least they're still thinking about it...