We wanted to address the digital divide facing people with disabilities (PwD) by providing an open platform to enable users of all abilities to connect to technology in ways suited to their personal needs. Our goal is to empower PwD by giving them tools to be independent, connect with others, seek and retain education and employment, and contribute to society both economically and socially.
What Xogo looks like in practical use is someone who uses a wheelchair can now connect their joystick to their PlayStation or Xbox and play games online with their friends and use the same switches on their headrests that they used for gaming to open doors and activate lights. Plus, they can find new devices like drones, robots, and productivity tools that they want to use, and control them with their own devices instead of proprietary inputs that do not adapt to their needs. This means that PwD can now control all of the technology in their homes, schools, and offices.
By creating an interface that allows people with disabilities to use any and all forms of technology in a way that works for them, they can have not only access to technology, but access to other people. Access to technology - in our tech-dominated age - means access to people, relationships, and community. It builds bridges for people who are often isolated.
We have a strong grasp of our initial market and have formed key partnerships with corporations and NGO's including Comcast, Liberty Global, the National Science Foundation, 13 rehab centers and hospitals, and many non-profit organizations. We have also undertaken two market research studies, conducted pilot tests with six research institutions, have two advisory board members who have disabilities, and our pre-order list has over 500 users. We also have ten rehab centers that have expressed strong interest in acquiring Xogo devices to use in their facilities. Additionally, we recently fulfilled a contract with Comcast to pilot Xogo to connect users with disabilities to their Xfinity X1 cable platform, and we were also their first ever Startup-in-Residence.
You can contact us! We are planning a release of the full platform in 2022, but are testing with users in preparation for our launch.
