{"id":4580,"date":"2021-07-27T10:50:41","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T15:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stratospherenetworks.com\/blog\/?p=4580"},"modified":"2021-07-27T10:50:41","modified_gmt":"2021-07-27T15:50:41","slug":"how-the-internet-of-things-iot-can-make-life-easier-for-people-with-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stratospherenetworks.com\/blog\/how-the-internet-of-things-iot-can-make-life-easier-for-people-with-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Internet of Things (IoT) Can Make Life Easier for People With Disabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AWhat if your shoes could navigate for you? Lechal, a company that set out to \u201crethink the way the visually challenged navigate<\/a>,\u201d has made that possible with smart insoles that sync with a GPS navigation app and vibrate to tell you where to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe white cane, the most commonly-used assistive device by the visually-impaired, has changed little in more than 100 years even as technology has leap-frogged centuries,\u201d the Lechal website states. \u201cOur challenge was to find a simple solution to a problem few had thought to tackle and our answer lay in haptics or the technology of touch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those intelligent insoles serve as one example of how Internet of Things (IoT)<\/a> devices can break down barriers and make life easier for people with disabilities.<\/p>\n

Greater Autonomy Through Smart Devices: IoT Use Cases for People Living With Disabilities<\/h2>\n

From wearables that monitor vital signs like your heart rate to smart doorbells that alert you when someone shows up on your porch, the modern world is full of the internet-connected devices that make up the IoT. Our homes and workplaces alike are increasingly populated by these \u201csmart\u201d products for the purposes of comfort, efficiency and data collection. Business Insider Intelligence projects<\/a> that the number of IoT devices will increase from 8 billion in 2019 to 41 billion by 2027.<\/p>\n

The pandemic has fueled the growth<\/a> of the IoT as healthcare providers have turned to smart devices such as internet-connected medical equipment and drones to deliver vital supplies and monitor patients\u2019 vital signs, according to research published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information<\/a> and the IoT Analytics article \u201cThe impact of Covid-19 on the Internet of Things \u2013 now and beyond the Great Lockdown: Part 1<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

As IoT devices streamline many aspects of our daily lives, they also have significant potential to make various settings more accessible for people with disabilities and help them to overcome obstacles at home, school and work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile these applications certainly add a level of fun and convenience for all users, the applications take on a whole new level of importance when used by persons with disabilities and older adults,\u201d states a report titled \u201cInternet of Things: New Promises for Persons with Disabilities<\/a>\u201d from the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ict).<\/p>\n

Smart devices can potentially remove barriers and improve quality of life for individuals living with disabilities in the following ways, according to the G3ict report and The IoT Magazine article, \u201cHow IoT Breaks Barriers for People with Disabilities<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n