Welcome Back Readers~
I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday with family and friends; I certainly did. Some of my favorite gifts included a Ultimate Harmony remote which allows me to control several devices such as my Amazon fire and my TiVo all through my Alexa simply by using my voice. For example, I can say, “go to 240” and it switch the channel as requested. I can also turn up the volume of the TV by simply saying, “Turn up the volume.” In order to switch to the Amazon fire,I, I simply ask Alexa to “turn on Fire TV,”; I don’t have to ask my personal assistant to switch inputs because it does so automatically
This remote does require some programming experience in order to make the devices work together to complete complex demands.
For more information on harmony products, please go to:
https://www.logitech.com/en-us/harmony-universal-remotes
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-logitech-harmony-amazon-alexa-echo/
The Nest thermostat was my next favorite present; this assistive technology works to with the app as well as Alexa to control your thermostat. It also has the ability to recognize when you are away from the home and lower the temperature: when you return, it will increase to a preset temperature.
For more information on Nest technology, please go to:
https://nest.com/thermostats/nest-learning-thermostat/overview/
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/tips-for-your-new-nest-thermostat/
The last assistive technology is clearly not yet; but Toyota is doing its best to make the lives of quadriplegics a whole lot better with the introduction of a personal assistant robot that retrieves drinks
It's nice to hear that you spent the holiday with your family and friends. Today, I'd like to share with you a wearable blind assistive technology that helps people who are blind or visually impaired achieve greater independence. It's a tiny camera with powerful features. It reads text from almost any surface and converts it to audio then speaks the information to the user via built-in speakers discreetly in real time. Also, recognizing products, money notes, colors and even people's faces are some of the amazing features of these glasses for visual disability
Sounds great that you can be more independent!