Attached to glasses and connected to a computer by a cable, the device, called “Jins Assist,” enables users to click and move the cursor with their heads, helping people with hand or arm disabilities to use computers.
A trial event was held in Miyakonojo City to let many people know about “avatar robots,” which allow people with disabilities or other reasons to remotely control a robot to connect with society. The robot introduced was a small humanoid robot called “OriHime” equipped with a camera and microphone. People who have difficulty going out due to disabilities or serious illnesses can remotely control it to talk to people. On the 5th, a trial event was held at the Miyakonojo City Museum of Art, and “Hina,” a woman in her 20s from Miyazaki City who operates the “avatar robot,” interacted with visitors.
Chieko Asakawa, IBM Fellow and director of the Miraikan (Tokyo) National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, who develops technology to support the visually impaired, gave a lecture at Kyoto Lighthouse in Kita-ku, Kyoto City. She touched on her latest projects, such as the “AI suitcase” that will be tested at next year’s Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Toyota Motor Corp. and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp will build and operate the system, which will use artificial intelligence and optical communication technology to collect huge amounts of data and provide highly accurate driving assistance. They plan to invest around 500 billion yen by 2030.
Fujitsu Ltd. said Monday that it will begin a service for automatically creating clinical trial documents as part of efforts to accelerate digitalization in the area.
In August, a physically disabled man (53) was denied boarding a Kawasaki City bus because he was refused use of the disability certificate app on his smartphone. The city has approved the use of the app, and the man claims he was “unfairly refused boarding.” The city apologized to the man, saying “the driver was not aware of the problem.” While the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is progressing, the situation shows that operators are lagging behind in their understanding.
“Seamless Buddy,” a system that makes it possible to visualize the abilities of people with disabilities, is attracting attention. In March of this year, the system was recognized, and Yoko Takahashi (50), the representative of Danway (Nakahara Ward, Kawasaki City), which developed it, was selected for the “Kawasaki Entrepreneur Excellence Award.”
Technical and financial problems have been identified in the year since Japan’s first transportation service using so-called Level 4 autonomous driving began in the town of Eiheiji, Fukui Prefecture.
Amid the country’s declining population, Level 4 autonomous driving, or fully automated driving under certain conditions, is viewed as a promising means of transport. The service in the central Japan town, however, has shown hurdles that must be cleared.
In a country notorious for its reliance on cash, municipalities across Japan have been staging electronic payment uptake drives to stimulate digitalized consumption by granting shopping points for transactions using QR codes.
Some remain reluctant, especially elderly people and others who find digital devices difficult to operate, and who continue to view cash as the be-all and end-all for making purchases.
‘Access Yell’, a venture company based in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture that manufactures assistive devices for people with disabilities, has developed a smart remote control for televisions that is easy to operate for people with physical disabilities, and began selling it at the end of 2023.
Barrier Free Japan