Charity to develop app for people with disabilities
- 14 Jan
National Star, a charity based in Gloucestershire, has won funding that will help develop an innovative technology which helps people with disabilities become more independent.
The funding will enable the charity to develop and test the free app, called FlyCatcher, which could be on the market by 2016.
The app uses iBeacon technology to send information through smartphones and tablets. It could transform how people with disabilities and learning difficulties manage in unfamiliar surroundings, SouthWest Business reports.
Information can be first designed as text, images, audio or video and paired with the iBeacons placed around a certain area. The user can download the app onto their smartphone or tablet and as they move through an area, information automatically downloads when they come close to a beacon.
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the first organisations to agree to trial FlyCatcher this year.
Jisc TechDis Director Sal Cooke stated, "The companies made amazing progress in the first phase. It was an absolute joy watching them work directly with disabled learners and employers using their feedback to adapt the designs".
Project Director at National Star, David Finch stated, "FlyCatcher will revolutionise how information is delivered to people in unfamiliar environments, specifically supporting those with learning difficulties and those with visual impairments, enabling a greater autonomy in our working lives".
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