A new product created by a man with a Deaf father is set to alert Deaf people to text messages using light bulbs in the home.
The Spark Socket just needs a wi-fi connection and an iPhone, then the lights of your home can be controlled wherever you are. It’s all very impressive, putting the Mountcastle Silent Bell to shame.
Watch the subtitled video below to find out all about their product, and go to this link to find out how you can help fund it: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sparkdevices/spark-upgrade-your-lights-with-wi-fi-and-apps
The Limping Chicken is supported by Deaf media company Remark!, provider of sign language services Deaf Umbrella, and the RAD Deaf Law Centre.
Enjoying our eggs? Support The Limping Chicken:
The Limping Chicken is the world's most popular Deaf blog, and is edited by Deaf journalist, screenwriter and director Charlie Swinbourne.
Our posts represent the opinions of blog authors, they do not represent the site's views or those of the site's editor. Posting a blog does not imply agreement with a blog's content. Read our disclaimer here and read our privacy policy here.
Find out how to write for us by clicking here, and how to follow us by clicking here.
The site exists thanks to our supporters. Check them out below:
- BSL Zone: TV programmes in BSL for the Deaf community
- Deaf Umbrella: what support is available for deaf students?
- Bellman & Symfon: home alerting solutions, including the mobile phone transceiver!
- SignVideo: Instant BSL video interpreting online
- SignHealth: check out the BSL health library
- 999 BSL: call 999 in an emergency, in BSL
- Appa: Looking for RSLIs, TSLIs and CSWs, apply here!
- Signly: Adding BSL to websites
- Signworld: Learn BSL online!
- DCAL: world-class research into deafness, cognition and language
- Action Deafness: “A Deaf-Led Charity” – interpreting & community support services
- Sign Solutions: Instant access to Interpreters, training and BSL translation nationwide
- InterpretersLive: On demand BSL video interpretation
- Lipspeaker UK: specialist lipspeaking support
- BID: Deaf services, including advice and support, interpreting, employment and letters
- Performance Interpreting: BSL interpreting at concerts
- National Deaf Children's Society: The leading charity for deaf children
Andy
November 23, 2012
I want one! Presumably this is American?
Those electrical fittings are certainly not British. There’s a problem. In the US and many other countries they have 110v mains electricity @ 60 Hz. We have 240 v @ 50 Hz which is enough to be lethal and so our regulations are much stricter. This is not really my field of electronics but it looks to me as if a British version would have to be designed from the ground up, we couldn’t just import the US version.There’s a limit to what you can plug into sockets and a Wi-Fi socket would certainly have to conform to the Kitemark standard.
It would be possible to have a Black Box that flashed a light by Wi-Fi trigger but it would probably need to be battery powered or with a wall wart. ie independent of the mains. For those who already have a mains flashing light system it could be added in as an extra.
Just needs some enterprising engineer to build one!