Blind rock climber from Boston uses Legos to map wall

[kestrell]

I don't really get how the Legos are being used to map out the wall but, between this and the man who uses Legos to build his prosthetic arms, Legos definitely count as assistive technology
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-54171777

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Have you ever seen an indoor rock-climbing wall? They don't have much texture or crevice -- all the hand- and foot-holds are screwed on the surface. The legos are placed one-high on a long flat rectangle, with the front edge corresponding to the floor. One, two and four cell bricks on the rectangle match the relative position of the various potato-shaped holds.

(It's kind of like a Hollerith card, but with projections instead of holes.)

[kestrell]

Ooooooohhhhh! No, I never actually touched one of the climbing walls, though this does add new menaing to brailling the wall. I have witnessed Hugh Herr, a double leg amputee who is at MIT and makes his own prosthetic legs with specialized wall-climbing add-ons, go over a wall in about two seconds. ,

[j00j]

Yes, if you didn't know: for sighted folks they map specific routes (with different difficulty ratings and often funny names) on a climbing wall with various colored tape, so the legos make sense to me. Honestly I wonder if you could use something like that to mark the route ON THE WALL too. Or braille labels obvs.

In our house Legos are good for ADHD stimming/focusing or anxiety management in kids and adults. Unsurprisingly, you can do a lot of things with Lego!

[kestrell]

Do you know of any specific resources for using Legos as a disability tech resource? I'll research this later, but am wondering if you can recommend specific resources.

shoulda searched first.

[jesse_the_k]

Not all walls use potato shapes: there are many with faceted holds, and -- just for you:

Bompas & Parr's Grope Mountain is an erotic take on the climbing wall