The marvels at Mitsubishi have developed a lift that incorporates voice recognition for wheelchair users and the blind. It’s possibly the biggest lift-related news you’ll read all week.
Here at Future Tech we’re always looking to shine a spotlight on some of the more ingenious methods that tech companies are incorporating to ensure the future is accessible and open to every single one of us. To that end, we’ve featured everything from Braille credit card prototypes to the most helpful robotic designs.
Mitsubishi Electric have now developed a lift (elevator to our friends across the pond) with an improved user interface that is designed to fit the needs of blinds and disabled. More accurately, Mitsubishi’s design allows those with disabilities to use its lifts without pressing a button.
Mitsubishi’s new system, which they dubbed ‘Touchless Call’, will allow users to automatically initiate a voice-controlled interface when entering the lift. This will allow a blind person to select their floor through voice recognition, while a warning is signalled once the lift has reached the user’s desired floor.
The same voice recognition is also automatically activated once a wheelchair is detected, while the lift will recognise a within a range from its door.
If the lift doesn’t speak in a posh English accent, all Mitsubishi’s good work is undone
The detection technology Mitsubishi is pioneering seem extremely advanced, making one wonder as to what applications it could serve in the future.
Should you bring your dog to a hotel that outlaws canines, perhaps the lift could admonish your publicly, or slam shut at the last second to mock you? If you’re reading this Mitsubishi, that’s just a teaser of the solid gold ideas we have here at JOE – we’re anxiously awaiting your call.
This technology has sprang from Mitsubishi’s development of speech recognition systems used in their cars, while several Japanese hospitals and nursing homes are expected to incorporate ‘Touchless Call’ later this month.
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