Microsoft are including more users with their newly announced Adaptive Accessories
Microsoft have announced that later this year, a new line of adaptive accessories will be released for PC users, in order to allow those with disabilities the option to use any supported PC in a more natural way for them.
There are three parts to the kit, the Microsoft Adaptive Hub, which can then connect to four Adaptive Buttons or the Adaptive Mouse. One of the reasons why this is big is that the basic items can work as they are, out of the box, but if the user has a particular disability, then all that is needed is a 3d printed add-on to make it work for them. Check out the below video where users with disabilities talk about how much better they can use the devices, with this new
The Adaptive Mouse looks like the little black square below, it is fully functional as a mouse in this form, but because of its shape, 3d printed additions can be snapped onto it, allowing for it to fit the hand of the person using it.
Microsoft have designed a few 3d printable add-ons, which you can see below, but there is also the Mouse Tail, another add-on that turns it into a regular mouse, but one that can swap between right and left hand dominance.
The other portion of the Adaptive Accessories are the Adaptive Buttons, these have 8 different programable inputs on each, so think like a d-pad on a controller. With those, they can have a joystick added, a massive button or even a directional pad.
Like the mouse, they also support 3d printed add-ons, meaning that you can ensure the perfect fit for the user.
This is just another step in the evolution of inputs for technology that Microsoft started many years ago with the Xbox Adaptive Controller and more recently the Surface Adaptive Kit, which features stickers, tabs and more, to make using a laptop or tablet device easier.
