Peterborough Man Helps Creates Wearable Tech Device That Gives Voice To People
/The makers of wearable technology company DrumPants have partnered with Peterborough's Michael Zinn to create a device—TAPS—that gives a voice to people who have limited mobility or difficulty speaking, such as people suffering from ALS or brain injuries.
T.A.P.S.—Trigger Activated Personal aSsistant—is a collection of wearable triggers that can be placed anywhere on a persons’ clothing or on a wheelchair. When paired to the user’s cellphone through Bluetooth, the user can simply TAP one of the various wearable Bluetooth triggers to communicate customizable pre-programmed customizable messages through an app on their smartphone or tablet.
TAPS is the brainchild of Peterborough resident Michael Zinn, who came up with the idea when he saw the DrumPants inventors on an episode of Shark Tank.
Zinn a rehabilitation support worker, reached out to DrumPants Founders Lei Yu and Tyler Freeman to see if the product could be modified to help people speak.
“For people with debilitating diseases like ALS or Cerebral Palsy, it is incredibly difficult to communicate to their support workers," says Zinn. "TAPS allows people to become more independent because it gives them a voice."
This wearable technology is the first of its kind. TAPS is market ready and they are currently raising capital to go into production.
In the meantime, their development team is working with individuals to test and refine the software to find other practical uses to help people living with disabilities. “TAPS can do more than say phrases, we are discovering that users find value in being able to use it to control lights in their home, answer the telephone or even take photos,” says Zinn.
To learn more about this fascinating tech, go to TAPSwearable.com or click here.
