Have you seen the hoards of folk mainly young but not always walking around like zombies staring in to their phones ? if so the chances are they are playing Pokémon Go, which i learn is now more accessible for wheelchair users ! not sure it will affect me so much.

Thanks to Canadian company B corporation Komodo OpenLab who thought Pokémon Go would benefit from using its Tecla product, which is an assistive hardware device designed to make it easier for people who might not generally be able to interact with smartphones & tablets etc. making it easier also for wheelchair users with spinal injuries or MS.

So how does it work? the Tecla controller installed on the users’ wheelchairs allow control over iOS or Android devices paired via Bluetooth. A control unit switches the target device for the hardware controller between their wheelchair, and the smartphone, and it also works with single or dual switches, including those that respond to light touch and sip-and-puff switches for users with less range of motion in their hands.

The team who designed Tecla first did some concept testing with this system intended for wheelchair users earlier in the summer and had some positive results and good feedback so were able to release the upgrade to the general public just last week. See the video of how it works right here.