Auditory Arcade A modular, computerized "busy box" for teaching motor and cognitive skills. The Auditory Arcade is a modular, computerized "busy box" which provides educational/recreational activities for blind and other handicapped children and adults designed to teach skills such as fine motor coordination, tactile object recognition, spatial strategies, and auditory sequencing memory. The unit consists of a lap-sized metal box which can accommodate various game panels such as presenting sixteen different tasks. Three panels have been developed to date: (1) the Manipulation Panel consists of a collection of hardware items such as locks, switches, wing nuts, fuses, etc., all of which require some sort of manipulation by the player; (2) the Match-Maker Panel, which requires the player to match various kinds of articles with identical mates (e.g., textures, colors, letters or words in print or braille, shapes, opposites, etc.); and (3) the Moving Experience Panel, which has disks that can be pushed in different directions. A built-in synthetic speech chip asks the player to perform specific tasks, and the players are reinforced for correct performance by musical tones or synthetic speech in accordance with the rules of the particular game being played. The Auditory Arcade provides enjoyable ways for blind children to practice tasks which develop skills that are especially important for this population. The modular design allows for an unlimited number of new panels to be fabricated. Thus, tasks appropriate for the entire age range from preschool through adult may be presented. Similarly, tasks for all types of disabilities may be incorporated into the Auditory Arcade. Availability This device has been developed and tested in prototype form. The possibility of commercial manufacture is being actively pursued. To assist development of shape recognition, spatial concepts, fine motor skills, and causal relations in blind and multihandicapped children. The Flexi-Formboard is an electronic shape puzzle that provides visual, auditory, and tactile rewards via an interfaced battery-operated mechanical toy for correct shape insertions. The device consists of a board with nine removable, interchangeable, and rotatable shape receptacles, and their matching shapes. Magnetic sensors under the board sense correct placement of each shape in its receptacle. Sighted children are drawn to traditional formboards by seeing a clearly defined task which looks fun to do, and by the desire to see a completed puzzle. Although the concepts, skills, and feelings of mastery derived from completing formboards may be even more important for blind youngsters than sighted ones, blind children are not usually very motivated to work on conventional formboards. The Flexi-Formboard, however, is dynamically interactive and provides both visual and nonvisual feedback. This is extremely motivating to both blind and sighted youngsters. Deaf-blind users can detect activation of the interfaced toy when it is placed in their laps.Also unlike traditional formboards, the interchangeable features of the Flexi-Formboard allow the problem pattern to be changed whenever desired. The actual numbers of shapes which must be inserted to complete a pattern may also be varied (between 1 and 9). Availability The Flexi-Formboard was commercially produced and marketed by ACS (Adaptive Communications Systems) Inc., of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but is no longer available. A more sophisticated derivative, the Formboard With A Brain, is available from Toys for Special Children (see below). To assist development of shape recognition, spatial concepts, fine motor skills, causal relations, group concepts and memory for sequencing in blind and multihandicapped children. The Formboard With A Brain is a computerized shape puzzle that provides visual, auditory, and tactile rewards via an interfaced battery-operated mechanical toy for correct shape insertions. The device consists of a board with twelve removable, interchangeable, and rotatable shape receptacles, and their matching shapes. Magnetic sensors under the board sense correct placement of each shape in its receptacle. The unit has a built-in computer chip, music chip, and vibrator. Sighted children are drawn to traditional formboards by seeing a clearly defined task which looks fun to do, and by the desire to see a completed puzzle. Although the concepts, skills, and feelings of mastery derived from completing formboards may be even more important for blind youngsters than sighted ones, blind children are not usually very motivated to work on conventional formboards. The Formboard With A Brain, however, is dynamically interactive and provides both visual and nonvisual feedback. It rewards correct shape insertions and activation of an interfaced toy, music from the formboard itself, and vibration of the formboard. This is extremely motivating to both blind and sighted youngsters. As with the Flexi-Formboard, Deaf-blind users can detect activation of the interfaced toy when it is placed in their laps. Also unlike traditional formboards, the interchangeable features of the Formboard With A Brain allow the problem pattern to be changed whenever desired. The actual numbers of shapes which must be inserted to complete a pattern may also be varied (between 1 and 12). The Formboard With A Brain also allows a supervisor to specify a set of shapes, or even a sequence of a set of shapes, which the child must insert to obtain the rewards. Each correctly placed subset shape results in a short musical phrase; insertion of the final shape of the complete set activates the interfaced toy, initiates a complete song, and makes the unit vibrate if desired. Availability The Formboard With A Brain is available from Toys for Special Children, 385 Warburton Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706, (914) 478-0960. Combines the benefits of manipulating hands-on educational materials with the flexibility of computer technology, including synthetic speech. Tact Tell consists of interchangeable sets of manipulatable, hands-on educational materials which are interfaced to a "talking computer." The system literally tells the user a problem whose solution lies in the correct manipulation of the hands-on materials. It also provides instant feedback about the user's performance. This is made possible by switches on the hands-on materials which enable the computer to monitor the user's performance; i.e., how s/he manipulated the materials. The result is a unique human-computer interaction in which the human neither reads the screen nor types on the keyboard. Instead, the Tact Tell user merely listens to the directions (or feedback) from the synthesizer, tries to solve the problem by manipulating the interfaced materials in specific ways, and receives verbal (it could be musical) feedback. Computer skills have become an essential ingredient for educational and vocational success. Sighted preschoolers who use early educational software not only enjoy this interactive process of learning new information, but they also get an early start on the computer skills that will serve them well later on. Children who cannot see the computer monitor are barred from these important experiences. Tact Tell provides blind children the opportunity to have interactive experiences with computers in a way which is appropriate for them. Tact Tell is extremely versatile and flexible. The numbers of materials which can be interfaced to the talking computer is virtually unlimited, and can be customized to meet the needs of an individual or a class. In addition, the software which accompanies any given set of manipulatable materials can be designed to provide a variety of difficulty levels. In this way, a given set of hardware to be manipulated can be used by the entire age range from preschoolers through adults. Prototype Tact Tell materials which have been developed include an analog clock with movable hands, and a puzzle map. Availability Tact Tell is currently an experimental prototype. Although not presently commercially available, this technology is included here to demonstrate the type of adaptive equipment which can be and has been developed to solve specialized rehabilitation problems. Persons interested in finding solutions to similar problems may contact the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for technical advice and/or referral.
SECTION III. EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
CONTENTS
Flexi-Formboard
Formboard With A Brain
Tact TellAUDITORY ARCADE
FLEXI-FORMBOARD
FORMBOARD WITH A BRAIN
TACT TELL