For more independence in everyday life: Talking Grill and Bake Oven KB M23 Audio for people who are blind or visually impaired
Feelware, the pioneer in the field of accessible household appliances, is retrofitting the KB M23 grill oven from Steba with its patented audio voice output, thus launching a talking mini oven on the market.
Wouldn’t it be practical if household appliances could be taught to talk? This is precisely the issue that the Feelware team of developers addressed. As a result, Feelware introduced its patented audio speech output – a practical solution for people with visual impairments to the market. Since then, Feelware has been retrofitting carefully selected electrical appliances that are particularly well suited to the needs of blind and visually impaired people.
Barrier-free access to household electrical appliances already starts with the choice
“Many domestic electrical appliances are not suitable for operation by people with visual impairments because the controls require users to be able to see,” says Feelware founder Robert Rupprecht. “With vision loss, affected people therefore experience difficulties with everyday tasks such as preparing meals or washing clothes.” The problems are often compounded when a new appliance is needed, as access to new household appliances is linked to numerous hurdles and difficulties for blind and visually impaired people. Feelware already links to the selection process of a household appliance and offers audible buying guides on its website as well as a telephone catalogue. “We adapt the product consultation and the selection process of an appliance to the needs of people with visual impairments. So prospective buyers can access our audible product descriptions at any time and convince themselves to buy an appliance.”
How the KB M23 Audio works
The intelligent Feelware audio rotary knobs are attached to the original knobs of the Steba oven. They detect the rotary position and thus the setting of the appliance and transmit the corresponding information by radio to an AudioBox that is connected to the socket. When the position of the appliance’s rotary knobs changes, the system announces the current setting by voice. To make using the oven more comfortable, the voice output also announces preparation recommendations for different dishes if desired and thus helps to make the correct settings.
“We are delighted that people with visual impairments are now able to access our quality product. Of course, this is only possible due to the excellent work that Feelware does,” says Markus Müller, Managing Director of Steba. “We are proud to be a part of this project!”
“When selecting new appliances for our customers, we focus on quality, performance and safety. Steba’s ovens have inspired us from the very beginning and represent the reference on the market for compact ovens for us,” say Dr. Jean Randhahn and Robert Rupprecht, managing directors of Feelware. “By working with Steba, we were able to bring an innovative product to the market and help people with visual impairments to lead a self-determined life.”
Audio voice output in the oven of the latest oven series from Steba
The Grill and Bake Oven KB M23 is one of the five new models that Steba has recently launched. It not only impresses with its elegant design, but above all with its short heat-up times at 1,400 watts of power. The resulting energy and time savings make it a real alternative to conventional built-in ovens. In addition, a wide range of functions, such as infinitely variable temperature control, separately switchable top/bottom heat, convection and timer, help to achieve even and always optimal baking results.
The KB M23 Audio t is now available directly at Feelware.
