Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It’s time for a new Access Tech post!

Aira!

As a soon-to-be A. T. Specialist, I tend to listen to podcasts about technology or ones that talk about living life with sight loss and blending it in with Access Tech to give tips and what things you could take a look at and what is out there. One awesome podcast is Assistive Technology Update from Easter Seals in Indiana which they have many others under their belt but this is one I highly recommend for anyone who wants to learn more about tech for disabled people. One episode that got me to write this post is on a new device known as Aira which is a wearable device that helps people to see what’s around them.

What Is It And How Does It Work? Aira is a pair of smart glasses that uses cameras and a portable Wi-Fi network in order to connect with agents through the mobile app on your smart phone. The agents can help you in finding a pace to eat, where to find the nearest train station, and even read out the plaques in a museum, which would help out since the person in the A. T. Update episode who has been using this tech went to one of the museums in D. C. and they got someone on the app be excited and read and described everything that the glasses caught in front of them! I would say this takes Google Glass to a whole nother level because you’re not only using the glasses but your phone too but it can work either way as in just the glasses or just the phone but in my opinion and case I would have both if I went this route.

How Can It Benefit the Blind? Well, it does definitely help improve mobility since it does use the GPS navigation system on someone’s phone in order to get them to where they need to go. It would help with navigating the systems such as the city streets, knowing when to cross an intersection like the busiest intersections in Orlando since that can be a tedious thing to do, even on International Drive here. What also helps is that the agent can help people with different restaurants they want to go to by reading Yelp reviews on their end to give them a better idea of what’s in the neighborhood and what people have to say about it. Sounds great when you’re in Orlando for the NFB National Convention or any of the conventions I have spotlighted here. Plus, they can read the menus for you that can really help since not all restaurants have the Braille menu option which that is a bit of an annoyance. Not only that can read the descriptions of each dish as well since I did notice in the past when Denny’s didn’t do that in their old Braille menu. So, there are many possibilities in benefitting someone who would want to use this tech, even reading handwritten notes can be done with this one.

Where Should I Go For Information? I will pop in the link for this device because it will give you the phone number to connect you to someone who will give you plan pricing, any information on how it works if you need more information in product use, etc. This is an interesting device and if you guys know anyone who should check it out, let them know!

Well, that is it for this post! If you guys want to learn more about a certain product that is out there, just comment below or if you’re following us on Twitter @Nerdy Shique, you can tweet us there! I am looking for more things to write about in the Access Tech Universe because as you know I benefit from it and you guys can also benefit from learning with my experiences!

What is next? More book reviews soon and since February started, I Aira Websitesmell a Favorites post in the air! Until next time!