Skype Boating

Interesting article from IT Director.com about using VOIP (voice over internet protocol) to help people with visual impairments navigate using a boat or participate in other sports.

"Ed Gallagher has slowly lost his sight over the last ten years. He was a keen sailor in the San Francisco Bay area and wanted to continue his hobby. He joined the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (BAADS) but really wanted to continue solo sailing. He put together a solution using a head-mounted video camera and a video Skype link to a friend on terra firma. The friend can now see the boat and where it is going and direct Ed so that he can sail solo in the Bay."

Great example of using existing technology to meet needs, and how assistive technology needs to be neither expensive or specialized.

Thanks for supporting Maine VRC.

Boating photo used with permission from Flickr user tiarescott under Creative Commons License