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https://github.com/asterics/asterics-grid

Free, easy-to-use AAC app with offline support, flexible input options, media & smart home access
https://github.com/asterics/asterics-grid

aac accessibility alternative-communication alternative-communication-methods assistive-technology asterics-grid augmentative-and-alternative-communication augmentative-communication free-software matrix podcast pwa pwa-app text-to-speech webradio youtube youtube-player

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Free, easy-to-use AAC app with offline support, flexible input options, media & smart home access

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README 

          
# AsTeRICS Grid



![AsTeRICS Grid use cases](docs/ag-use-cases.png)



Create **grid-based user interfaces** that are **flexible and fully accessible**.



Use it for: 

* **Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)**: very simple to highly complex communication boards

* **Media access**: browse and play YouTube, web radios, podcasts

* **Smart Home control**: operate devices directly or integrate with platforms like [openHAB](https://www.openhab.org/) or [HomeAssistant](https://www.home-assistant.io/)



**Accessible to everyone**: can be operated via **mouse click, touch, keyboard, single switch, or eye gaze** — adaptable to any user's abilities.



## Features



* **Cross-platform**: works on PC, smartphone, and tablet across Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS

* **No installation required**, just open [grid.asterics.eu](https://grid.asterics.eu/) in the browser (or install it to your desktop or home screen)

* **Offline capable**: works without an internet connection

* Optional **cloud sync**: synchronize your configuration across devices (with **end-to-end encryption**)

* **Customizable grid system**: flexible layouts tailored to any use case

* **Wide range of input methods**:  click, touch, hover, scanning, keyboard, switches — or advanced methods like eye tracking, head tracking, or EMG muscle sensors (via the [AsTeRICS Framework](https://www.asterics.eu/get-started/Overview.html))



### AAC-related features



* **Text-to-speech** in multiple languages (depending on the device)

* **Multilingual support**: build communicators that support different languages

* Integrated search for **free AAC symbols** from [ARASAAC](https://arasaac.org/) and [Open Symbols](https://www.opensymbols.org/)

* **Word forms**: enable automatic inflections (e.g. conjugations, plurals)

* **Customizable keyboards** with **word prediction** and **self-learning dictionaries**

* **Global grid**: define elements that appear across all pages (e.g. for core vocabulary)

* **Progressive language**: design communicators for various language development levels

* **Share created sentences** with any other app (e.g. WhatsApp)

* **Built-in messenger**: chat within the app using text, emojis, or pictograms – powered by [Matrix](https://matrix.org/)



### Smart Home and media access



* **Smart Home control**: directly via HTTP actions or connect with [openHAB](https://www.openhab.org/) or [HomeAssistant](https://www.home-assistant.io/)

* **Live elements**: display status of the app or external devices

* **Web radio**: play any radio station - powered by [radio-browser.info](http://www.radio-browser.info/gui/#!/)

* **Podcasts**: listen to any podcast - powered by [podcastindex.org]()

* **YouTube access**: search and play videos directly within the app



## Where to Use It



There are three online versions of AsTeRICS Grid:



* https://grid.asterics.eu/ current stable release

* https://grid.asterics.eu/latest/ current testing (beta) release, possibly unstable

* http://grid.asterics-foundation.org/ non-https version, but otherwise exactly the same app as https://grid.asterics.eu/ - may be used in cases where interaction with local resources (e.g. HTTP action) is needed and [browsers are refusing it because of mixed content](https://github.com/asterics/AsTeRICS-Grid/discussions/410). 



## Documentation

See [User documentation](docs/documentation_user/README.md) or [AsTeRICS Grid Playlist on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0UXHkT03dGrIHldlEKR0ZWfNMkShuTNz).



Also see [Developer documentation (not finished, maybe outdated)](docs/documentation_dev/README.md) and the [Collaboration guide](docs/documentation_dev/collaboration.md).



## Run project locally

1. clone the project `git clone git@github.com:asterics/AsTeRICS-Grid.git`

2. install node.js https://nodejs.org/

3. install yarn, see https://yarnpkg.com/

4. go to the directory of the cloned project and run `yarn install`

5. run `npm run start` and open http://localhost:9095



## Npm scripts

After `yarn install` the following commands are available:

1. `npm run start` --> starts a webserver serving the AsTeRICS grid on `http://localhost:9095`, does hot reloading if js-sources change.

2. `npm run build` --> builds the js-files in folder `src` to `app/build` folder.

3. `npm run start-auth` --> runs [couch-auth](https://github.com/perfood/couch-auth) locally and makes it possible to create "online users" within the locally running application. A local [CouchDb](https://couchdb.apache.org/) instance is necessary in order to work.

4. `npm run release` -> releases the current version with a new tag and push it to `gh-pages` branch in order to be served at https://grid.asterics.eu/

5. `npm run release-latest` -> same as `npm run release` but with destination https://grid.asterics.eu/latest/

5. `npm run test` -> runs tests of the project using [Jest](https://jestjs.io/).



## Support us

While development is currently funded within research projects (see below), the non-profit [AsTeRICS Foundation](https://www.asterics-foundation.org/) pays for the running server costs. If you want to contribute to these costs, you're very welcome to donate:









   








## Acknowledgements and Attribution



AsTeRICS Grid was developed within several funded projects:

* **2018-2019:** project [Toolbox for Rapid Design of Smart Homes and Assistive Technologies (ToRaDes)](https://embsys.technikum-wien.at/projects/torades/index.php) at the [UAS Technikum Wien](https://www.technikum-wien.at/), funded by the [City of Vienna](https://www.wien.gv.at/kontakte/ma23/index.html), Project 18-04

* **2019-2023:** project [Knowledge Hub for Accessible Technologies (WBT)](https://embsys.technikum-wien.at/projects/khat/index.php) at the [UAS Technikum Wien](https://www.technikum-wien.at/), funded by the [City of Vienna](https://www.wien.gv.at/kontakte/ma23/index.html), Project 26-02

* **2022-2025:** project [Inclusion International (In2)](https://www.technikum-wien.at/forschungsprojekte/inclusion-international/) at the [UAS Technikum Wien](https://www.technikum-wien.at/), funded by the [City of Vienna](https://www.wien.gv.at/kontakte/ma23/index.html), Project 33-02

* **2024-2025:** [netidee project funding for AsTeRICS Grid](https://www.netidee.at/asterics-grid), Call 18

* **2024-2028:** project [Inclusion via digital augmentative and alternative communication (InDiKo)](https://www.technikum-wien.at/forschungsprojekte/indiko/) at the [UAS Technikum Wien](https://www.technikum-wien.at/), funded by the [City of Vienna](https://www.wien.gv.at/kontakte/ma23/index.html), Project 38-09
















Other people and organizations we want to thank:

* Thanks to [ARASAAC](https://arasaac.org/) for collaborating and providing their pictogram API

* Thanks to [crowdin.com](https://crowdin.com/project/asterics-grid) for providing a free open source license

* Thanks to [browserstack.com](https://browserstack.com/) for providing us free UI tests on their platform.

* Thanks to Alex Segler for the great Webradio API [radio-browser.info](http://www.radio-browser.info/) which makes it possible to search and play webradios within AsTeRICS Grid

* Thanks to [podcastindex.org](https://podcastindex.org/) for a great global listing of podcasts and episodes

* Thanks to the makers of the API from [opensymbols.org](https://www.opensymbols.org/) which makes it possible to search for open AAC symbols within AsTeRICS Grid

* Thanks to ResponsiveVoice for providing an free non-commercial version, ResponsiveVoice-NonCommercial licensed under 95x15

* Thanks to [open-meteo.com](https://open-meteo.com/), which provides free weather data, which can be displayed within AsTeRICS Grid

* Thanks to all the developers of these projects, which are all used by AsTeRICS Grid in production:

    * [couch-auth](https://github.com/perfood/couch-auth)

    * [file-saver](https://www.npmjs.com/package/file-saver)

    * [hls.js](https://github.com/video-dev/hls.js/)

    * [html2canvas](https://github.com/niklasvh/html2canvas)

    * [interactjs](https://interactjs.io/)

    * [jspdf](https://github.com/parallax/jsPDF)

    * [jszip](https://stuk.github.io/jszip/)

    * [matrix-js-sdk](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-js-sdk)

    * [n-ary-huffman](https://github.com/lydell/n-ary-huffman)

    * [navigo](https://github.com/krasimir/navigo)

    * [n-ary-huffman](https://github.com/lydell/n-ary-huffman)

    * [Object Model](https://objectmodel.js.org/)

    * [PouchDB](https://pouchdb.com/)

    * [predictionary](https://github.com/asterics/predictionary)

    * [Stanford Javascript Crypto Library (SJCL)](https://crypto.stanford.edu/sjcl/)

    * [superlogin-client](https://www.npmjs.com/package/superlogin-client)

    * [Vue.js](https://vuejs.org/)

    * [vue-i18n](https://vue-i18n.intlify.dev/)

    * [vue-multiselect](https://vue-multiselect.js.org/)

    * [Workbox](https://github.com/GoogleChrome/workbox)

    * [Bootstrap](https://getbootstrap.com/)

    * [fontawesome](https://fontawesome.com/)

    * [dom-i18n](https://github.com/ruyadorno/dom-i18n)

    * [jQuery](https://jquery.com/)

    * [jQuery context menu](https://swisnl.github.io/jQuery-contextMenu/)

    * [jQuery UI](https://jqueryui.com/)

    * [loglevel](https://github.com/pimterry/loglevel)



## License



AsTeRICS Grid and its source code are licensed under the [AGPL-3.0](./LICENSE). All documentation and non-source code in this repository are licensed under the [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en).