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The MindTree Foundation is coming up with two products for the disabled, namely K(C)ommunication Audio-Visual Interface Device (KAVI) and Analog DIgital Theremin Interface (ADITI).
These products have been in the pipeline for a while, but their release has been delayed until now.
Speaking to Business Line , Mr Raja Shanmugam, CEO, MindTree Foundation, said, “Both ADITI and KAVI are in their third revisions and we expect final productisation in the second half of 2011.”
But he ruled out the possibility of MindTree manufacturing these products.
“We are not going to manufacture these products ourselves because our aim is to remove the design and engineering costs from the equation. If we create the product, we feel that a manufacturer only has to make and sell the product besides providing after-sales support.”
Products
KAVI is designed to help people with speech impediments to communicate with others, while ADITI will assist people with musculoskeletal disabilities, who find it difficult to use a keyboard and a mouse, to work on computers.
The Foundation's Assistive Technologies Program recently won an award in the “e-Inclusion” category at the recently-held Manthan South Asia 2010 Awards and these two products were evaluated as part of the awards process.
Mr Shanmugam also stated that such products could have a life beyond helping people with disabilities.
“Take KAVI for instance. It has a touch screen and allows people to manipulate objects on the screen and speak out what they have selected. Such a product can also be used as a learning platform for children.”
Talking about the larger ambit of corporate social responsibility (CSR), Mr Shanmugam said that the understanding of CSR is evolving over time.
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