AdvantEdge Reader for People with Visual Disabilities
Published: Jun 25, 2007
The Assistive Technology Center (ATC) in Sacramento has announced the release of a completely portable scan-and-read system for people with visual disabilities. The system, named the "AdvantEdge Reader," combines several mainstream and adaptive technologies in order to achieve the goal of a pocket scan-and-read solution.
The AdvantEdge Reader is a simple system. The users just have to insert the material to be read into the scanner. The material is then scanned, recognized, converted into readable format and read automatically.
The AdvantEdge Reader is a merger of a tiny, portable strobe scanner and SmallTalk computer. ATC had recently adapted the Visioneer strobe scanner. While SmallTalk is a hand held uPC made by Indiana-based GW Micro. Assistive Technology Center provided this merger with the proper recognition program and hardware driver.
Apart from being the first portable scan-and-read system, the AdvantEdge Reader is also a Windows XP compliant computer. The Reader has a docking cable that connects to an external monitor, printer, network, keyboard, firewire devices and more. Additionally, the Reader has internal Bluetooth and Wireless LAN technology. These features make it a perfect makeshift desktop computer.
