UMD’s ProtoCall Exosuit Nudges Learners Before They Err

Posted on November 10, 2026November 10, 2026 by IE Contributor

A beginner reaches for the soy sauce when the recipe wants salt. Most feedback systems tell them afterward. University of Maryland researchers built a wearable AI that acts before the mistake happens, turning the learner's head or pulling back the arm mid-reach. The system, called ProtoCall, was announced on November 9, 2026 and is being presented at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) in Detroit. In a 16-person study, every form of physical feedback beat p...

Portable Voice Stick Can Read Text Out Loud

Posted on September 6, 2015 by

A promising new voice stick can convert can read what you write--out loud. Invented by Sungwoo Park, this cool new gadget is a portable scanning device that reads printed text and converts it into a voice. The Voice Stick can read any written document including newspapers, books and mail. It is very hard for someone with sight to understand the experience and needs of blind people, who would love to read these same newspapers, books, and mail as we all do. Braille is the most important way...