The LipSync enables a person that has no use of their hands to use a touchscreen device, laptop or computer — it is a mouth operated joystick that allows a person to control an onscreen cursor with minimal head and neck movement. An open-source hardware project funded by Google, it uses 3D printed parts, an Arduino Micro board, and other common parts that can be soldered to a circuit board and built in a day.

A LipSync Buildathon is an event that train’s makers to build an open source assistive technology, the LipSync. By the end of the session, each maker will make a LipSync for a person in their community.

Teams will be supplied with the tools, components, parts and instructions, and will work together to assemble, solder, 3D print components, transfer the code onto an Arduino board, and mount the device to a wheelchair. They will be supported by the LipSync creators, the Neil Squire Society, and their new program, Makers Making Change: connecting makers to people with disabilities to create open-source assistive technologies.

For more information about the event or to apply to receive a LipSync please contact: Chad Leaman, chadl@neilsquire.ca