[Art_beyond_sight_theory_and_research] Touch and Go, TouchColor

[Lisa Yayla]

Hi,
A couple of products, Touch and Go and TouchColor, that seem like a 
really good idea. Think they are still prototypes, but pretty neat.
Regards,
Lisa


Touch & Go: An Autonomous For Visually Impaired
June 8, 2010
"Touch and Go" is an instrument made as a navigation system for the 
visually impaired. It is designed by Russian designer Natalia 
Ponomareva. The combination between a hand gadget and earpiece, make 
"Touch and Go" can be worn in hand, like other fashionable accessory. As 
it features, a tactile display that will show the direction as relief 
map has been added on it. The navigator has 1:1000 scale that will give 
plump the center image of the user position. When the user move to 
another place an arrow will indicate it position. An audio feature also 
has been included via telephone.
Tactile Activities
Tactile activities stimulate the senses of the participants, 
particularly the sense of touch. The activities work well for children, 
especially kids with tactile defensiveness. The condition causes a 
strong negative reaction to touch stimulation, according to La Leche 
League. The child is able to explore various textures and tactile 
experiences on her own terms through the tactile activities.
product/article
'Touch Colour' is a revolutionary painting tool for the blind. It uses 
special technology that associates different colours with different 
temperatures in order to properly identify them.
The 'Touch Colour' is a tablet that a blind person uses as the canvas. 
They simply scroll through the colour wheel (which is not only 
temperature identifiable but also braille as well) to select their 
colour of choice and then place the wheel onto the tablet and begin drawing.
The user can also keep track of their outlining, shading and any other 
aspects of the drawing by simply feeling the constant warm of cooler 
colours on the tablet. The 'Touch Colour' is a beautiful advancement as 
far as technology for the blind is concerned. Kudos!
http://www.yun-li.com/index.php?/project/touch-color/
Touch Color is the combination of a Thermal digital tablet and a Rainbow 
Color picking ring that allows a blind person to paint colorful pictures 
with his fingers on the tablet. The 24 colors on the ring are 
differentiated by Braille dots and varied temperature generated by the 
embedded LED bulbs. Artistically inclined or not, this concept of "Blind 
Color Painting" sure sounds like technology is heading in the right 
direction.
http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/08/04/no-longer-color-blind/

TouchColor designer website with video, shows how it works
http://www.tuvie.com/touch-color-helps-blind-people-to-draw/

Sensory Table
A sensory table is a common center in preschool classrooms, but it also 
works well at home or with older kids. The child-sized table features a 
shallow tub as the top. The sensory table is often filled with sand or 
water, with toys, scoops and other items for the kids to use. Other 
items also work well in the sensory table. Change the contents to the 
fit the them or to match your child's interests. Options include dirt, 
leaves, shredded paper, uncooked rice, uncooked pasta or shaving cream. 
The kids use their hands, as well as the sensory table tools, to 
manipulate the contents of the table.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/139319-tactile-activities/


product
The patterns and width of the Wavy Tactile Path are designed to offer 
the most suitable tactile sensory intensity for children as well as a 
realistic "nature" experience. The boards can be arranged into curvy or 
linear patterns. There is no directional uncertainty; the change in 
angle is natural for humans. The slight slopes on the 4 sides of the 
boards offer balance control for front and back and also left and right. 
The Wavy Tactile Paths help enhance muscle development and provide 
tactile stimulation. They improve vestibular balance, movement 
coordination and the sense of balance. They help children cultivate 
spatial concepts and planning through arranging and constructing the 
Wavy Tactile Path pieces. The set includes 8 pieces that nest 
conveniently nest together in a handy carry bag. The maximum length of 
each board is 26.85", the maximum height is 4.28" and the width is 
6.82". Ages: 3 years & up. Available in blue (EQ2175) and green (EQ2176).
http://funandfunction.com/wavy-tactile-path-p-897.html

product


Mike Ayres Tactile Panels
https://www.sensoryplus.co.uk/tactile/tactile_activities/mike_ayres_tactile_panels

excerpModifications for Visually Impaired Students in Physical Education 
Classest
Gym mats are an excellent tool for boundaries or bases. Set up ropes 
along running courses. Provide rules composed in Braille or provide a 
tactile map of the playing field.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6524910_modifications-students-physical-education-classes.html


excerpt

Braille tattoos are a new innovation that allow the blind to enjoy body 
modifications too.
Klara Jirkova, a student at the University of Arts in Berlin, came up 
with an innovation to modify the body to allow the blind feel those 
artistic statements through their sense of touch. Braille tattoos now 
let the entire world experience the eclectic pieces of art you may 
choose to put in your skin.
The raised bumps that make up these braille tattoos consist of implants 
under the skin, and could include individual beads or a small tablet of 
embossed text.
The beads can be relatively small, but not as small as standard braille 
text as the body's muscles would absorb them too deep to touch (

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/braille-tattoo-blind