Somantics : Somantics

Newly released on the iTunes store after UK trade show BETT, Somantics is a suite of iPad apps developed for young people with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) and other related communication difficulties. The Somantics project was co-produced by Dr. Wendy Keay-Bright (a reader in Design at the UK's Cardiff Metropolitan University), creatives Joel Gethin Lewis and Pete Hellicar of Hellicar & Lewis, and interaction designer Marek Bereza.

The apps, for iPad and iPad2 (they can be hooked up to Kinect for laptop or desktop devices) encourage users to communicate using touch, gesture and camera, and thus to express themselves creatively. They're available for use across educational, community and clinical settings.

Somantics was a winner of funding from a competition, Making Waves sponsored by the UK's Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Technology Strategy Board.