Double Tap

Two Austrian accessibility innovators from the Zero Project Technology Forum in Tokyo: Lingvano, the sign language learning app taught entirely by deaf teachers, and Turn-Motion, which uses AI and robotics to make custom carbon fibre leg braces.
Elena Coazzoli and Johanna Steiner of Lingvano explain how the app teaches American, British and Austrian Sign Language, with German Sign Language days away. They describe sign recognition built in-house, which watches you fingerspell and gives feedback on where and how you sign, and why every lesson uses deaf teachers rather than avatars. About a quarter of Lingvano's staff are deaf or hard of hearing.
Steven asks what a sign language app can offer blind and deafblind people. Johanna explains that tactile signing cannot be taught through an app, and Elena says accessibility is one of Lingvano's core product rules. They also cover their 2024 Zero Project award and the myth of one universal sign language.
Georg Popp, an architect and 3D designer who has lived with polio paralysis since he was one, founded Turn-Motion out of frustration with handmade orthoses that can cost up to 80,000 euros. He walks through the process from a clinic's 3D scan to an AI-optimised carbon fibre shell printed along curves by its own robotic machine in about eight hours. He talks about halving costs, first sales planned in Austria in summer 2027, and his own trials of an exoskeleton.
Chapters
0:00 – Welcome back to Zero Project Tokyo
1:10 – Lingvano and the first ten minutes of learning
2:46 – Gamification and the power of the streak
4:25 – Sign recognition and training data
8:19 – Deaf teachers, deaf staff and the app's platforms
10:52 – Sign language, blind and deafblind people
13:12 – The 2024 award and the myth of one sign language
16:55 – Georg Popp, polio and Turn-Motion's automated braces
22:58 – Robotic carbon fibre printing, speed and cost
28:48 – Prosthetics, exoskeletons and what comes next
Relevant Links
Lingvano: https://www.lingvano.com
Turn-Motion: https://turn-motion.com
Zero Project Technology Forum: https://zeroproject.org/initiatives/the-zero-project-technology-forum

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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

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Two Japanese accessibility innovators from the Zero Project Technology Forum in Tokyo: OryLab, whose OriHime robots let homebound disabled people go to work and school, and Miruoto, which turns the sound of sport into words on screen for deaf fans.
Maria Juul, a Dane who has lived in Japan for more than ten years, explains OryLab's mission to eliminate loneliness. Its OriHime robots are always driven by a real person, called a pilot, and she explains why being present in the room creates memories and relationships in a way a video call does not.
Steven asks Maria to describe the robots for a blind audience: a 23 centimetre tabletop unit with penguin-wing arms and a face shaped like a Japanese theatre mask, and a 120 centimetre robot that serves drinks in OryLab's Tokyo café. She covers how AI plays a supporting role only, a six month café trial in Denmark, pilots who now earn enough to come off disability support, and the price of around 6,500 euros outside Japan.
Reiko Katayama of the Tokyo design company Hogaku answers in Japanese, with an English translation. Miruoto was built over two and a half years for the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics, from ideas given by Hogaku's deaf and hard of hearing staff, and uses manga-style onomatopoeia to show the crack of a table tennis ball and the atmosphere of a match. She explains how it differs from Fujitsu's station sounds project, and her plans to take it into live music.
Chapters
0:00 – Welcome to Zero Project Tokyo
1:15 – Maria Juul and OryLab's mission to end loneliness
4:12 – Why presence matters more than video calls
8:41 – What the OriHime robots look and sound like
11:26 – Loneliness, employment and the robot café
15:02 – Where AI fits, and working with pilots
17:29 – Denmark, new pilots and the cost of OriHime
21:52 – Reiko Katayama and Miruoto
25:41 – Onomatopoeia, manga and Deaflympics feedback
27:44 – Station sounds and what's next for Miruoto
Relevant Links
OryLab: https://orylab.com/en/
Miruoto: https://miruoto.jp
Zero Project Technology Forum: https://zeroproject.org/initiatives/the-zero-project-technology-forum

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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

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Steven Scott and Shaun Preece open the Double Tap mailbag to talk about Meta Ray-Ban battery life, password managers, blind employment and the best keyboard for one-handed typing, with straight answers from two blind tech users.
Ryan suggests the Carina C2 battery pack for Shaun's Meta Ray-Ban glasses, which leads to a plea for a simple USB-C port on the arm. Biggles raises privacy concerns about Apple Watch's new conversation recall feature, and the hosts ask whether a saved transcript counts as a recording.
Sventor in Norway explains how he uses Google Password Manager as the autofill provider on iPhone. James from Missouri explains how to unlock 1Password with Windows Hello or Touch ID. Steven admits Chrome might win him over, and the hosts look at why passkeys still feel fragmented.
Barry describes 20 years of rejection despite two computer science degrees, and Shaun reflects on giving up his own job search. Steven recalls being told by Access to Work that he would be "more value on benefits", and makes the case for self-employment and recognising the value of work beyond money.
David Ward explains how Mastodon servers such as The Dragon's Cave and TweeseCake shape who sees your posts, and offers a Patrick Stewart analogy on who gets to call themselves blind. Kimberly asks for a keyboard for one-handed use, and Shaun recommends the Keychron V6 Max and his own accessible customisation app, KeyAble.
Chapters
0:00 – Welcome to the mailbag
0:41 – Carina C2 and Meta Ray-Ban battery life
3:37 – Apple Watch conversation recall and privacy
9:07 – A 3D printer dream and suspicious Facebook ads
12:14 – Chrome passwords, passkeys and 1Password
23:50 – Employment, rejection and Access to Work
38:15 – Mastodon servers and using the word blind
50:17 – One-handed keyboards, Keychron and KeyAble
55:09 – Coming up: Zero Project Technology Forum in Tokyo
Relevant Links
Carina C2 by PrismXR: https://www.prismxr.com/products/carina-c2-compatible-with-ray-ban-meta
1Password: https://1password.com
Keychron: https://www.keychron.com
KeyAble: https://www.slightperception.com/apps/keyable/
The Dragon's Cave: https://dragonscave.space
TweeseCake: https://tweesecake.social
Zero Project Technology Forum: https://zeroproject.org/initiatives/the-zero-project-technology-forum

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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

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Steven Scott has set up a Claude hotline on an accessible Cisco desk phone. It leads into a frank debate about blind users relying on AI. Also covered: a Meta glasses firmware fix for Aira calls, new Facebook and Double Tap Live updates, and listener views on whether smart glasses will last.
Steven explains how Claude set up a VoIP line on a talking Cisco desk phone. Claude then built a bridge on his Mac, so one button on the phone lets him talk to Claude directly. From there, Steven and Shaun Preece look at Claude connectors like Booking.com for trip planning. Then comes the harder question: are we losing screen reader skills by handing so much to AI, or is it a smart way to save energy?
Shaun releases KeyAble, an accessible tool for customising Keychron keyboards. The hosts also discuss vibe-coded copies of big apps. Brian Hartgen's free Accessible Auphonic shows the better approach: an accessible front end for a service that already works well.
Meta glasses firmware 129.1 fixes Aira calls, and the Facebook iOS app no longer adds extra swipes between posts. Steven announces that Double Tap Weekend and Double Tap Mainstream are going on pause. Double Tap Live now plays on Amazon Echo devices.
In the emails, Ellen praises Meta AI's more detailed descriptions. Ken in Sacramento predicts Meta's smart glasses will go the way of Google Glass, which leads to a debate about trust, Meta and Apple.
Chapters
0:00 – Welcome and Steven's week
2:18 – A Claude hotline on an accessible Cisco desk phone
9:07 – Claude connectors and trip planning with Booking.com
12:11 – Are we relying on AI too much?
22:04 – KeyAble for Keychron keyboards and building your own tools
26:41 – Accessible Auphonic from Brian Hartgen
30:44 – Meta glasses Aira fix and Facebook iOS update
33:55 – Double Tap schedule changes and Double Tap Live on Echo
41:24 – Ellen on Meta AI descriptions
47:19 – Ken on smart glasses, trust and AI
Relevant Links
KeyAble: https://keyable.slightperception.com
Accessible Auphonic: https://hartgenconsultancy.com/accessibleauphonic
Auphonic: https://auphonic.com
Aira: https://aira.io
Zero Project: https://zeroproject.org

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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apple's HomeView, a new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2 lead the news, then Vispero's Matt Ater and Ryan Jones explain how Vispero Companion in JAWS will change your settings and help you finish tasks when you get stuck.
Steven Scott and Shaun Preece go through Apple's Welcome Home event. The new Apple TV 4K gets the A19 chip and built-in microphones, and the price goes up. HomePod mini 2 is sold on Siri AI, which will not arrive until a later update. The new Siri Remote has Find My built in. HomeView uses Face ID to recognise each person in the household, and the hosts ask what it offers blind users who already have a phone.
Matt Ater and Ryan Jones of Vispero talk about the company's new CEO, Sid Gaitonde, Glen Gordon's return, and the push to bring more blind people into leadership and engineering roles.
The main news is the new Vispero Companion in JAWS and Fusion. It brings PictureSmart, Page Explorer and other AI tools together in one place. You can describe a setting in plain language and Companion will change it for you. It can also pick a date or explain why a form won't submit. The tools run in the cloud and need an account. Businesses will be able to point Companion at their own AI models.
ZoomText is getting performance modes and object detection in photos. Ryan stresses that AI is no excuse for companies to skip accessibility.
Chapters
0:00 – Intro
1:22 – Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini 2 and the new Siri Remote
6:25 – Apple HomeView smart home hub
9:50 – Matt Ater and Ryan Jones on the Vispero name
13:04 – New CEO and blind leadership at Vispero
17:16 – Vispero Companion: AI settings and task help in JAWS
41:51 – AI in the workplace and enterprise models
46:55 – ZoomText updates
50:42 – Why AI is no excuse for inaccessibility
53:53 – Wrap-up
If you enjoyed this conversation, like, subscribe and share it with someone who uses JAWS or ZoomText. Tell us in the comments what you think of Vispero Companion and HomeView.
Relevant Links
Apple HomeView: https://www.apple.com/homeview/
Apple TV 4K: https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-4k/
HomePod mini: https://www.apple.com/homepod-mini/
JAWS: https://vispero.com/jaws-screen-reader-software/
ZoomText: https://vispero.com/zoomtext-screen-magnifier-software/
Vispero Companion: https://companion.vispero.com/

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Subscribe to the Podcast:
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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.