Developments from CES 2015: what the 'Internet of Things' means for accessibility

Transcript

8 February 2015

Roberta: Dr Scott Hollier joins us today to discuss interesting developments from the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as well as technology trends that we're likely to see in 2015 and what the term "Internet of Things" means for accessibility. Welcome, Scott.

Scott: Thanks, Roberta, it's great to be back.

Roberta: What is the Consumer Electronics Show?

Scott: Well, the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES as they call it, is hosted in Las Vegas in the USA every year in early January and it basically sets the scene for what manufacturers are going to be releasing throughout the year, so we get a bit of a sneak preview on all the new things coming out and around consumer electronics, like TV and tablets and things in the home. Anything tech we get to see, so it's a massive event and it's really interesting to get that sneak preview.

Roberta: What are the technology trends that we're likely to see this year, Scott?

Scott: The first big thing is the new type of TVs which are around and it's called 4K and what 4K means is that the number of dots used to make up the screen is twice as many as the TVs currently have. From a vision impaired point of view this has great potential because with twice the number of dots it means TVs can be bigger, which is good for low-vision users, and still have really good clarity of the picture. The downside though is that currently there is no content for this resolution, so even Blu-rays are still made for the TVs we have now rather than the TVs coming up. So while you can still run and watch all your usual TV things on the new TVs that benefit of having that clarity, we don't really have anything to watch that's in that resolution yet. It's interesting to see how that will go. We've also seen some new consumer products around the emergence of new tablets and phones and things like that and other little gadgets. Yeah, it's been interesting to see what's on the horizon.

Roberta: I heard there was an announcement about a smart jacket. How does this help people who are blind or vision impaired?

Scott: This is probably the most interesting of news out from the CES that could directly benefit people who are blind or vision impaired. Intel, who makes the chips in our computers, they announced a smart jacket specifically designed for people who are blind or vision impaired. The idea of this jacket is that it has a whole stack of sensors on it which as you get close to objects vibrate and indicate that you're coming up to things. Depending on which direction they're coming from that's the part of the jacket that gives you that signal, so it's really interesting. It's a bit of a prototype but it's a little bit of out-of-the-box thinking and they were demonstrating it at the CES and it looks pretty cool.

Roberta: With all these sensors I guess they've also got to make sure that it's safe.

Scott: Absolutely and there wasn't a lot of information about how it goes in the spin cycle and things like that, so you'd want to know how those electronics hold up in the wash.

Roberta: There's been some discussion about the Internet of Things coming from CES. Will this have an impact?

Scott: I think it will. The Internet of Things is a term which has really gained popularity to say about how our everyday devices are getting more and more connected to the internet, like our toaster, our fridge, our washing machine, our lights, our front door locks and how that might impact. For example, Apple and Google and a number of manufacturers are now in this space where they like the idea that using your smart phone, you can use that to get keyless entry to your house. You can use your tablet to turn on the lights in the house, even things like a washing machine from Whirlpool that will announce to you when everything has been done and even send messages to your smart phone as to how far through the washing cycle it is. Now, from an accessibility point of view this has huge potential. If you can use your accessible smart phone or tablet to drive these things that can be really, really exciting. I guess also the downside is that with extra things being connected to the internet could come extra complexity, so as opposed to just turning on the light with a light switch, now you have to fumble with your phone. So there are swings and roundabouts with all these things but I think the idea that you could automate the house a bit, and certainly if the apps and things used to do that are accessible, then it could open up some new possibilities.

Roberta: There's a lot of work to be done there, I think.

Scott: Definitely.

Roberta: For more information on accessible digital technology, visit the Media Access Australia website at www.mediaaccess.org.au. You can also call 02 92126242 or email info@mediaaccess.org.au. Thank you, Scott, for all of that today.

Scott: Thank you.

Roberta: I'm going to be talking to you again next week, so keep your phone line clear.

Scott: No worries.

Roberta: I've been speaking to Dr Scott Hollier talking about the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. That information again for accessible digital technology you can visit Media Access Australia's website at www.mediaaccess.org.au or email info@mediaaccess.org.au. Media Access Australia is a supporter of this program.

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