ThinkFreedom

Giving more freedom to people with disabilities.

The problem: Our world is not always friendly to people with mobility (e.g. tetraplegia), vision, hearing or other accessibility problems. It is very hard for them to use their computer, to watch television, to spend time more creatively, to communicate with more people…

Here, at SciFY we thought it is about time we changed this. We owe it to them.

The goal: To increase accessibility to the computer or any other kind of electrical device to people with special needs, no matter what the needs are. That is, to give them the ability use home appliances and other devices by themselves easier, so that they can be and feel as autonomous and free as they can be.

The way: The Project ThinkFreedom. So far a lot of preparation has been done for the ThinkFreedom project but at the moment it remains inactive. See what else we do for Assistive Technologies here!

What it is

OK, so the goal is to

• let enyone use it, no matter the problem, and
• let every programmer free to build solutions on it

So, ThinkFreedom is a configurable interface for many uses, with the following logic:

• It recognizes stimuli and behaviors from a plethora of sensors (e.g. microphone, camera, keyboard, joystick…)
• It matches every stimulus to a command (e.g. “open my email” or “change the channel on the TV”)
• It exports results in many ways (e.g. it converts a text on the computer screen to speech).

Example:

So, with ThinkFreedom, for example:

• a person with tetraplegia could use his computer/television in ways he can manage: with his voice and face movements
• a blind person could use his computer with his voice and by listening to the computer.

Watch on this video how a ThinkFreedom application works for a friend with tetraplegia (who has partial mobility on one hand).
We took into consideration his abilities and we utilized them: Therefore, with a joystick appropriately adjusted to his needs and “trained” to control the function of the television, he managed to change the channel and to fluctuate the volume, without needing any help.

Who it is for

ThinkFreedom is addressed to:

1. People with special needs: so that they can live a freer, more autonomous, quality life.
2. Families supporting people with special needs: so they can provide help to their loved ones even more effectively. So the supporters are supported, by observing the increased freedom and autonomy of the people they are supporting.
3. Programmers: who want to develop applications to help people with special needs. ThinkFreedom is designed with the logic of an open source code in order to be developed according to necessity.

F.A.Q.

Do I have to pay for ThinkFreedom?

Nope! It will be for free, too!
Moreover, it is an open source code application, in order to be evolved according to your needs.
And of course, it will be supported by the community.

How can I use it? How can I get it?

It is still the beginning for this project. We are closely cooperating with a person with special needs (tetraplegia). With his help we are trying many solutions, use scenarios…

But we won’t be able to develop it properly without the assistance by more people with special needs. Without you, our effort has no practical future: our experience shows us that YOU are the only ones who know what you need. You have something we are lacking: knowledge of the problem “from the inside”. And without it we can do nothing, we cannot help anyone effectively.

So if you are a person with mobility problems or limited vision, you live in Athens (it is hard for us to frequently travel outside of Athens for the moment) and you want to help, we invite you (and challenge you) to come with us: Come with us to create solutions for everybody!

Contact us (either you or a person close to you), in the way you find more convenient:

Tel: +30 211.400.41.92

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you simply want to keep informed, click here and we will make sure to keep you up to date on our progress.

How can help in ThinkFreedom?

• If you want to support us financially (which is something we need very much), click here.
• If you are a person with mobility problems or limited vision, contact us: we need you!
• If you want to spread the word, well, you know what to do: Share it on your social media, write something on your blog, talk to your friend the journalist…

How can I keep informed about ThinkFreedom?

Express your interest by clicking here and we will make sure to keep you up to date with our progress.

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Project ID

• Duration: 12/2012-12/2015
• Funding: Self-Funding