Written on May 29, 2008 – 7:56 am | by Bogdan Alex |
The disabled members of our society always get treated as outcasts, although they can still be of use for the human kind. Amputees, blind or visually impaired, even left-handed people, all of these plus lots others are treated as being some sort of sub-human entities. Speaking of blind people, a new debate has arisen concerning the need to design enhancement and the incorporation of next-gen features in gadgets developed for the visually challenged. They ask: what’s the point off adding cool stuff when the blind can’t make out the new features?

Matthew Wagerfield, a rather revolutionary mind, maybe a bit too keen on the blind, has created Sentio as a timekeeping device for blind and partially sighted users. The interesting piece of technology seems to perfectly combine the vanguard design and cutting-edge tactile technology. Sentio thus features implements the 7-segment display typically seen on digital alarm clocks and watches in a new and intuitive way.

LEDs and other lighting elements are pretty useless for the visually impaired, hence, the Sentio watch uses a tactile display in such a way that each segment rises 1mm above the watch face. This facilitates a simple reading of the time by touching the face as in the case of Braille watches.

Sentio can displays time in either hours or minutes depending on the mode selected. The watch comes in an elegant design, with attractive color options and fashionable extras. No info on pricing and availability for now.