----- Original Message ----- From: "BlindNews Mailing List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 8:13 AM Subject: New Japanese products for disabled people include a 3-D copying system for the visually impaired
> The Japan Times > Friday, November 16, 2007 > > New Japanese products for disabled people include a 3-D copying system for > the visually impaired > > By TAKESHI HAMANA, Kyodo News > > Firms striving to improve products for disabled > > Japanese manufacturers are stepping up efforts to develop products that > are easier to use for the disabled, including a 3-D copying system for the > visually impaired and easy-to-operate public lavatories. > > Spurring the development of these new products was the introduction of > nursing care insurance for the elderly in 2000. > > The copying system, a tactile graphic copier, was developed jointly by > what is now the Konica Minolta Group in Tokyo and Matsumoto Yushi-Seiyaku > Co. of Yao, Osaka Prefecture, in 1980 to assist people with defective > vision. > > In June, they marketed a new version of the system capable of producing > Braille, 3-D maps and other tactile graphic images. > > The system works by copying images onto special paper, which is then fed > into a processor to produce 3-D images. > > To date, about 1,000 systems have been sold, and about 50 a year are > expected to be sold on a nonprofit basis to facilities for the visually > impaired. > > Hideya Nishise, chief of the product planning division of Konica Minolta > Business Solutions charged with marketing the system, said, "Sales will > rise if the system is installed in facilities for the general public, such > as municipal offices and railway stations, which will enable us to > increase our development funds to come up with more user-friendly > machines." > > Toilets for wheelchair-users are now commonplace in Japan. Toto Ltd., a > leading manufacturer of bathroom, lavatory and kitchen equipment, has been > working on the development of toilet facilities for nearly 40 years. > > However, common guidelines were not established until this spring, when, > as a result of the efforts of Toto and others in the industry, the shape > and position of toilet buttons were standardized - round for flushing and > square or triangular for summoning assistance, for example. These have > been adopted under Japan Industrial Standards. > > Atsuko Kuno, an architect and a member of Toto's Tokyo public relations > group, said although Toto has spent many years working on products for the > physically impaired, there are still more issues to be resolved involving > design and standardization. Sales of minivehicles designed to enable > someone to board while remaining seated sold around 9,000 units during > fiscal 2006 ending in March this year. The number was almost double that > of fiscal 2000. > Osamu Ito, public relations manager of the Japan Mini Vehicle Association, > said that previously some salespeople were unaware of the existence of the > vehicles, but since then carmakers have boosted production of the vehicles > with the introduction of nursing-care insurance. > > One of the issues now, he said, is for manufacturers to work on further > improvements in safety. > > Gihei Takahashi, a Toyo University professor and specialist in > architectural planning, said products for physically impaired people often > have the image of being something a company produces as its "contribution > to society." In fact, he says, issues such as design, ease of use and > safety should be taken into consideration at the developmental stage. > > > http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20071116a6.html > BlindNews Mailing List > Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "subscribe" as subject > > Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe" as subject > > Moderator: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Archive: http://GeoffAndWen.com/blind > > RSS: http://GeoffAndWen.com/BlindNewsRSS.asp > > More information about RSS feeds will be published shortly. Send instant messages to your online friends http://in.messenger.yahoo.com To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
