jtd wrote:
I would love an all singing, dancing and beer pouring gizmo but we are getting into feature creep. U now want bluetooth or 802.11 (forget abt connectors - wont last a day - does not gel with visually handicapped) and a webserver and POWER to keep it running. Your Solar panels are going to get big and expensive and a very attractive target for all the junkies around. If it is large it has to be mounted at suficient height making installation and maintanence expensive.
Accepted!. Now here is another solution.
The web page will anyway provide only local information so it will not be a heavy page, just some light pages providing information. The text to speech is converted in the receiving device.
The Wireless Access Point ( WAP ) nowadays costs Rs. 2K approx. It is a built-in web server with an 802.11 network interface for broadcast. A WAP does not require a license to operate. The built-in web pages can be replaced with the web pages of the locality. The RF power output will be further reduced to allow a 5 to 10 feet range only. So the overall power consumption is only a few watts.
The use of a standard 802.11 interface will allow any wireless device of that standard to operate as the receiver, depending on the user's purchasing power. Any handheld device can suffice. A special low cost version can be developed by using the Simputer type technology. It was meant to be a hand held computer with a wireless network interface and cost approx. 5K to 10K rupees. Our version need not have any graphics or modem and would simply download and play the web pages into a headphone, with a keyboard.
There are faceless Chinese companies that make the hardware like WAPs for branded companies and such manufacturers can provide the hardware in volume, once the prototypes are made. This will further bring down costs. We get more freedom to load our webpage inside the WAP.
Regards,
Rony.
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