Google’s latest Android accessibility features launched this week and is aimed at people with severe speech and motor disabilities who can’t always rely on voice or touch to navigate their phones.
Based on user feedback on alternative communication technologies, Android lets facial gestures do the heavy lifting thanks to the front camera and machine learning software that detects eye and face movements.
Project Activate
The new kid on the block Project Activate also uses facial gestures to trigger custom actions, such as speaking a preset phrase, sending a text message, making a phone call, or playing audio.
“Personalization is built into every part of the app, from specific actions you want to activate, to facial gestures you want to use, to how the app responds to your facial expressions,” Google explained. “So no matter how mobile your face is, you can use Project Activate to express yourself. ”
Download the Project Activate app, available in English in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia from the Google Play Store.
Camera Switches
As the latest addition to Enhanced Accessibility, which is part of the Android Accessibility suite, Camera Switches let you use one or more gestures to perform onscreen tasks. Assign, among others, silent signals such as smile, raise eyebrows, look left, right, up or open mouth to release the notification panel, launch quick settings, scroll forwards or forwards. ‘back or return to the home screen, among other actions.
“People with various language and motor skills have told us that personalization options are essential,” wrote Lisie Lillianfeld and Allen Nikka, product managers for Google’s Search and Accessibility team, in a blog post. . “With the switches on the camera, you or a caregiver can choose how long a gesture should be held and how large it should be to be recognized.”
Other settings include the ability to show a visual indicator of how long you hold a gesture for, play a sound when something changes on the screen in response, and keep the screen on when the camera is on. ‘turns on (the function can control the Don’t unlock the screen when it is turned off). Camera switches can be used in conjunction with physical switches.
Lookout
In 2019, Google launched Lookout for people who are blind or have low vision. With a smartphone camera, he recognizes objects and texts in the physical world and announces them aloud. The different modes have facilitated a variety of daily tasks, from identifying food to describing what’s on the table in front of you.
For example, by updating document mode, your phone can read handwritten text, recite sticky notes, and read birthday cards scribbled in Latin. In addition to the US dollar, the extended exchange mode now also recognizes euros and Indian rupees.
