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Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.
Ecuador: Young student developes Vibrato app to help deaf people. Works on iPhones, iPad, and iTouchs
Mobile application opens links with the hearing impaired.
The application called Vibrato was designed by Ecuadorian Jean Carlos Morales. Used to write a few words or short phrases, have them filed and show them to people who do not know sign language.
Since she was six years, the world of Yolanda Garcia fell silent due to illness. Now, at 54, the only means of communication is sign language, unknown to most people.
Such a situation could be nearing completion thanks to a cell phone application called iPhone Vibrato, which breaks this barrier and allows the interplay of the deaf with other people.
The application was designed by Jean Carlos Morales young Ecuadorian.
The major obstacle for the vast majority of nearly 40,000 deaf people in the country is the high price of the iPhone, about $ 850 in Ecuador, which is why Morales is seeking government subsidies or private companies.
Vibrato is used to write a few words or short phrases, have them filed and show them to people who do not know sign language.
The audio messages are used, for example, overcome obstacles such as intercoms, as when a deaf person comes into a building and rings, if you respond, you may feel with the palm of your hand, can not tell you want or who are looking for. If you press the application, you get a message identifying the right words.
The vibration function is active and alert them, for example, the doorbell of his house, or the horn of a car across the street.
Garcia, who works as a seamstress in the small town of Tumbaco, 15 kilometers east of the capital Quito, told The Associated Press that when he used the mechanism found him as "a facility to communicate with others. Now we all understand."
He stressed that "it was very important that someone is concerned about the deaf. I was happy." He added that his deaf friends want to use the application, but can not for the economic limitation.
The dialogue took place with the help of Anne's sister, Yolanda, who acted as interpreter, since it has no money to buy the iPhone.
He added that "we are all happy with this possibility."
Applying Morales was born as a thesis for a degree in Multimedia Interactivity and the University of San Francisco (USFQ), whose leadership guided the students to find work with a social purpose university final.
The dean of the School of Contemporary Arts, the USFQ, Hugo Burgos, said "it is a pioneering work that is using the technology, is a fairly simple, yet powerful is to bridge between the world of sounds and the deaf community, so they can develop as individuals and to occupationally. "
In developing its proposal, the young designer took a year to follow and engage with deaf people in their daily activities and see for yourself their everyday problems, in addition to therapists, doctors and other specialists.
Morales, 21, told the AP that "I wanted to make a contribution to people with disabilities because I am a disabled person due to medical malpractice suffered paralysis from the waist since age 8. Even I have some difficulty walking. "
"Of all people with disabilities in the least is taken into account to work is to the deaf, due to the inability to communicate with them, so I wanted to help," he said.
To put vibrato on Apple Store, Morales called for the rights to his college. Did not has incovenients. He is handling the registration of the patent in Ecuador and soon plans to travel to the USA to do the same.
For now, Vibrato can be downloaded from Apple Store for less than a dollar and so far recorded purchases from France, Australia, USA and obviously Ecuador.
"The next step is for the designer spend their application to other platforms and be more widespread the benefit," said Burgos.
For the application to join Apple Store, Morales received the help of a friend who took care of the formalities and pay the required fees by the firm. Soon Morales wants to develop the same application for other phones.
