This device will make science simple & accessible to students with disabilities

Accessibility is usually thought of in the context of public transport or street signs. Now a researcher in the United States has taken it one step further.

Dr. Ronald Soong from California has created a device to make the laboratory space more accessible for students with physical disabilities. Soong’s device allows users to externally control an arm that can transfer exact amounts of liquids. The device then reads and records changes to these liquid solutions. It then announces values through its text-to-speech capability.

Dr Soong believes that science should be simple and accessible. He says that we have a duty to make sure that everyone has equal access to learning.

Dr Soong originally wanted to create a device that would transfer substances without human error. He later searched for other laboratory equipment that could be made more accessible and affordable.

The device is publicly available as it is created on an open-source platform. This way the cost barrier is reduced for students with accessibility needs.