New : my Board Buddy helps the visually impaired read the smartboard

29/03/2019

Visually impaired students have difficulty seeing the IWB or other projections. Especially for them, Sensotec has developed a simple, efficient device that enlarges the IWB and displays it in high contrast on a nearby screen. This latest development is available since the end of March.

On Friday, 29 March, Andy handed the first device to Eline Janssens at her school, the Sintmaartencampus high school in Beveren.

Stimulated by difficult customer demands to meet, Sensotec technical engineer Andy developed a simple but ingenious device in his spare time. my Board Buddy sends every projection or smartboard image to a screen on which the visually impaired user can enlarge the image without loss of quality and adjust the color and contrast with a joystick and a few buttons.

Eline (13) has impaired vision and uses a few indispensable aids at school: a board camera to view the classroom environment and a screen magnifier to enlarge the learning material. However, she still missed an important link in order to also be able to see the smartboard (interactive whiteboard – IWB) and other presentations: the camera-enlarged image of a digital projection is far from being vibration-free, often very pixelated and low in contrast.

Andy guided the young Eline, her parents and school in their search for the right device. Since the existing equipment, however valuable, turned out to be insufficient to enlarge the smartboard, Andy designed a solution for Eline’s requirement in his spare time. He asked and received the necessary support from his employer Sensotec to develop his solution into my Board Buddy: an innovative device for Eline and other people with a visual impairment.

my Board Buddy is unique. It combines different advantages like no other device:

A screen is sufficient.
The student does not have to work with a PC.
The teacher decides which information is shared.
The installation is very easy.
The image quality is superior: even with maximum magnification you get a vibration-free and pixel-free image.
In addition, the user can opt for color inversion or a grayscale.

This easily operable and portable device can be used stand-alone or as an addition to existing school systems. Even the youngest students can get started straight away with the joystick and the colorful buttons. my Board Buddy is suitable for students in class but also for adults during meetings or presentations.

Discover the product on our website or make an appointment.